Bowen’s UN role no threat to ‘loyalty to Australia’, minister says
The minister charged with directing Australia’s climate and energy future is getting a new role with the UN, raising a huge question about his loyalty.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s “loyalty to Australia” will not be eroded by his new UN climate role, a senior cabinet colleague says.
Mr Bowen was spearheading Australia’s favoured joint bid with the Pacific for COP31 next year.
This week, he conceded the world’s top climate summit to surprise rival bidder Turkey after months of stalled negotiations.
Among Turkey’s concessions was giving Mr Bowen the lead on negotiations, handing him the helm to steer COP31’s outcomes.
Trade Minister Don Farrell on Sunday brushed off concern that Mr Bowen’s loyalties could be split between Australia and a UN body.
“I am unequivocal in the view that Chris Bowen’s loyalty is to Australia and the people of Australia,” Senator Farrell told Sky News.
“So everything that he would do on the international stage would be to contribute to Australia’s contribution to net zero.
“I’m absolutely certain Chris won’t be doing anything other than things that are in Australia’s national interest.”
The Labor heavyweight went on to say “the world, by and large, is committed to the net zero project”.
“Australia is committed to that, the G20 countries just recommitted to that over the weekend,” Senator Farrell said.
If neither Australia nor Turkey relinquished their bids, hosting rights for COP31 would have defaulted to Bonn – the German city home to the UN body that runs the forum.
A pre-COP event will be held in the Pacific as part of the deal Mr Bowen struck with Ankara.
‘Thank President Erdogan’
Also speaking on Sky a short time later, Opposition frontbencher James Paterson took a different view.
He said Mr Bowen “should do two things … when he goes over to Turkey”.
“He should thank President Erdogan for saving Australian taxpayers $2bn by not having to host COP,” Senator Paterson said.
“And secondly, I think you should probably stay there because that’s where his priorities are.
“He wants to be on the international circuit … hobnobbing and negotiating at climate conferences.
“He has no interest in lowering energy prices for Australians.”
A key reason for hosting COP was to shore up relations with Australia’s Pacific neighbours amid a years-long Chinese influence campaign creeping across the region.
Climate change is an existential threat for low-lying Pacific island nations in particular.
Rising sea levels are eroding their coastlines while warming waters and higher acidity are hurting fishing stocks.
Negotiations finalised
Mr Bowen and the Australian delegation attending COP30 in Brazil formally wrapped up negotiations with the Turkish on Sunday (AEDT).
Australia – represented by Mr Bowen – will be president of negotiations, with “exclusive authority in relation to the negotiations”, from when COP30 ends this week until the end of COP31, a government statement said.
That authority includes hand-picking ministerial and other co-facilitators to drive talks forward.
“This will give Australia and the Pacific unprecedented influence in global climate negotiations,” the statement said.
Australia and the Pacific will also “set the agenda for and preside over a special Pre-COP for leaders and others in the Pacific in 2026, giving the world an opportunity to see Pacific climate impacts and solutions first-hand”.
In terms of COP31, it will include a session “focused on climate finance needs of Small Island Developing States” to offer “a platform for world leaders and others to make commitments to the Pacific Resilience Facility – a Pacific-led fund to support Pacific climate responses.
“(Turkey) will physically host the COP31 conference and World Leaders Summit in Antalya – a moment to demonstrate true, practical global co-operation,” the statement said, adding that the country “will be nominated to be elected as the COP president”.
Originally published as Bowen’s UN role no threat to ‘loyalty to Australia’, minister says
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