Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

We believe countries in our region, like Fiji, which is estimated to lose five per cent of its GDP every year due to climate change induced natural disasters, have a right to a seat at the table. We believe it's in our interest to engage with them. If the opposition have an alternative view, I invite them to outline it. They say this is not a conversation we should be involved in. They say we should not be talking at the COP or talking to Pacific nations. I invite the Leader of the Opposition, on this topic—he's the alternative Prime Minister of this country. If successful, it would be his role to be the chief diplomat of the nation. I invite him, today, to invite the high commissioners and ambassadors of the Pacific to hear why he doesn't think we should be engaging in this conversation. Invite them all in, and let him explain why he thinks our country should have no role in helping the Pacific. The Leader of the Opposition could weave a few jokes into his discourse about climate change and the Pacific!

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