Senate estimates: Department of Environment bureaucrats run up $1.2m business class travel bill in three months

The chief of a large department responsible for Australia’s environment and climate targets defended the $1.2m spend on international flights.

Department boss Mike Kaiser defended the $1.2m spend on international flights. Picture: Dan Peled/ NewsWire

Environment department officials have revealed bureaucrats spent $1.2m on international business class flights in the three months between July to September this year.

The flights were taken by 81 department officials across 91 trips which equals to about $13,100 per flight.

The figures also don’t include trips taken by Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen.

Senior staff from the Department of Environment revealed the figures in Senate estimates on Monday, with environment boffins spending a total of $2.4m on international travel, in addition to $4.4m on domestic travel in the three months to September 30, 2025.

Some of the locations included the World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris, the Australia–Japan Workshop on Antarctic Science in Tokyo in July, and the Clean Energy Ministerial initiative in Switzerland.

While the figures did not encompass travel for the COP30 Climate conference in Brazil, the department also paid a deposit for the whole-of-government accommodation which encompassed other departments.

The department’s spend was revealed in Senate estimates in parliament. Picture: Dylan Robinson

The department’s Head of Financial Services Rachel Harris said the international flights were often booked business class due to conditions under the enterprise agreement.

$1.2m was spent on business class flights by the department. Picture: Steve Pohlner

While Department secretary Mike Kaiser acknowledged the figures were “quite high for a Commonwealth department”, he defended the high figures and said members needed to represent Australia internationally at forums and meetings across the energy, environment and climate space.

“This is a department that has enormous exposure to international affairs through its energy division,” he told the committee.

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Originally published as Senate estimates: Department of Environment bureaucrats run up $1.2m business class travel bill in three months