Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. The Lowy Institute reports that, as president of COP, Alok Sharma visited more than 50 countries. Media reports that he travelled 200,000 miles, which is the equivalent of eight trips around the Earth. As president of COP31 negotiations, how many countries will the minister be required to visit, how many miles will he need to travel, and how much taxpayer money will be spent in finding the full-time presidential duties of the part-time minister?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'm just going to remind members that I'm not happy with descriptors of any sort moving forward—equally so to apply to anyone on this side of the chamber as well. I'm not happy with that descriptor. I just want to make sure that—and it will go both ways if anyone is described in another way. Just stick to the name of the title. I will refer members to page 514 of practice if anyone needs clarification.

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

I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. Firstly I must correct the misperception that both the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister are perpetuating in their questions. The role of COP president is not a full-time position. It is quite common for the role of president of the COP—and I'll be the president of the negotiations—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Well, they're different jobs—to be held by a cabinet minister concurrent with their duties. Last year's COP president was Mukhtar Babayev, who was the minister for the environment of Azerbaijan. The president of the COP I went to was Minister Shoukry, who continued in his role in the Egyptian cabinet while being president of the COP. To suggest that this is a full-time job somehow is a complete and utter invention. It's a fantasy. You can say it as many times as you like; it doesn't make it true.

The Leader of the Opposition was asked this morning by Kieran Gilbert, 'Isn't it good that Australians have a seat at the table and can chair some of the important international talks?' and the Leader of the Opposition replied: 'No, it's not Kieran. No, it's not.' But Kieran Gilbert—it's not the first time he's interviewed a member of the coalition frontbench about COP, because he and interviewed the gentleman who asked me the question in 2021. On that occasion, the now shadow minister said:

As a previous diplomat who went to a COP in Buenos Aires, I can tell you Australia plays a leading role in seeking agreement and getting all countries to play their part in reducing emissions, and we'll continue to play that role.

So I have no problems whatsoever engaging with my fellow minister when he was defending COP. My predecessor as minister for energy also attended COP. The member for Hume gave a speech. Was the speech in Canberra or Sydney or Goulburn? No. It was in London. He said: 'Importantly we recognise that we cannot achieve all this alone and that international collaboration—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Cooper is warned. When the House comes to order, I will hear from the member for Wannon. He is entitled to raise a point of order.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, it goes to relevance. We don't need a history lesson. What we want to know is how much the taxpayer is going to pay for this president and part-time minister travelling the world.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Wannon, I was explicit on not using descriptors, and you agreed with me when I said that. So you will leave the chamber under 94(a). I don't know how much clearer I can be. Don't do something that is not within standing orders. I referred to Practice so everyone would know. I'm not sure why you are surprised. Use correct titles for everyone—no descriptors, no deviations. The minister was asked a specific question about details. He is not able to refer to the opposition for the remainder of his answer because he wasn't asked about the opposition. So I am going to ask him to be directly relevant to the question he was asked.

The member for Wannon then left the chamber.

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

The fact is that every trip I take will be in the national interest, representing our country, something I am proud to do and something this government is proud of with its foreign affairs reset under this Prime Minister and the foreign minister which has replaced the mess we inherited. It is unimaginable that those opposite would have been elected to such a position because you actually have to believe in climate change to be president of the climate change negotiation. (Time expired)