Senator Cory Bernardi headed for three-month secondment to the United Nations in New York

CONTROVERSIAL Liberal senator Cory Bernardi who has publicly criticised the UN is going on a three-month secondment to the organisation in New York.

Senator Cory Bernardi and other Coalition MPs meet for a joint party room meeting at Parliament House in Canberra this morning.

CONTROVERSIAL Liberal senator Cory Bernardi who has publicly criticised the United Nations has been given a three-month secondment to the organisation’s headquarters in New York.

Senator Bernardi and Labor senator Lisa Singh have been selected for the secondment as part of a yearly travel program, under which one government and one opposition MP are selected to work directly with Australia’s diplomats at the global organisation.

Both MPs will work with the Australian Mission to the UN, and go to a series of meetings and other official events.

The selection of Mr Bernardi is curious, given he slammed the UN in a speech in parliament in 2010, calling it an “unaccountable foreign organisation” and a “fiscal black hole of bureaucracy”.

In 2014 he said Labor’s climate policy gave power to “unelected officials in the United Nations”.

Senator Cory Bernardi in his office at Parliament House. Picture: Kym Smith

Senator Lisa Singh at her home. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

Last year former Labor treasurer Wayne Swan and Nationals senator Barry O’Sullivan took part in the program.

The Australian understands Senator Bernardi was selected for the mission by a vote of his Coalition Senate colleagues. It is not known when Mr Bernardi and Ms Singh will leave for New York.

In a statement to News Corp Australia today, Mr Bernardi said: “I am delighted to have been chosen by my colleagues to take part in the United Nations delegation for 2016. This is a fantastic opportunity to assist in Australia’s representations to the United Nations and to learn more about the purpose, inner workings and effectiveness of the UN. Experiences such as this broaden the knowledge of any parliamentarian fortunate enough to participate and I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity.”