Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen’s department splashes $700k in public funds to send backers to COP31

Climate tsar Chris Bowen’s department is splashing close to $700,000 from the public purse to send community groups and consultancy firms to the COP31 Climate Conference in Turkey.

The Nightly can reveal 34 groups across the nation — ranging from sustainability organisations to consultancy firms — will be given an estimated $20,000 in government grant funding to “support the travel” to “contribute to Australia’s inclusive climate engagement at COP31”.

The 34 successful applicants will be given a portion of the $700,000 in public funds to travel to Antalya, Turkey from November 9 to 20. Recipients include Indigenous land groups, youth organisations, as well as agricultural and sustainability groups and several consultancy firms.

Organisations include the Kelp Forest Alliance, based out of Randwick in Sydney’s east, as well as the Jesuit Social Services from Richmond, Victoria.

A UNICEF Australia group was also a recipient of the funding.

Several businesses were also included in the list of grant recipients, including commercial education and youth agency, The Australian School of Entrepreneurship, Tasmanian-based consultancy firm, West Pine Advisory, as well as cultural heritage firm Ganby Country and energy infrastructure business Mirabou.

The additional hit to the public hip pocket comes after a Senate estimates revelation this week that Bowen’s Pre-COP event in Fiji blew out to $34.6 million, with little update on reconciled expenses from attending global dignitaries.

The Albanese Government allocated a massive $150m as part of the Climate Change Minister’s international climate crusade, which has included the office of the president of negotiations being established inside his department.

Mr Bowen is no stranger to travel expenditure himself, with reports he slugged taxpayers $345,000 to travel the world over the last financial year — jet-setting more 167,000km during that time.

Shadow energy spokesman Dan Tehan blasted the Climate Change Minister and COP’s president of negotiations for the latest spending spree.

“At a time when struggling Australians are facing a 17th interest rate rise under Anthony Albanese’s Government, Chris Bowen continues to spend their hard-earned tax dollars on a vanity project,” Mr Tehan told The Nightly.

“Every Australian should rightly be angry that a select group are being flown overseas at their expense while everyone back home is being punished with higher taxes and higher interest rates — especially those young Australians with a mortgage.

“Chris Bowen should apologies to taxpayers for his continued waste of their dollars and resign, or the Prime Minister should sack him.

Australian Taxpayers Alliance representative Brian Marlow said Australian families struggling to pay their power bills should be “furious that Chris Bowen’s department is offering grants of up to $20,000 to send climate campaigners overseas”.

“Taxpayers are funding a cosy feedback loop where Government bankrolls advocacy groups whose demands for more climate action help justify its own agenda,” he said.

“Bowen is taking your money and handing it to the climate lobby to gallivant around the world on your dime.

“They get their travel paid for, he gets more voices calling for the policies he already wants, and you get stuck with the bill. Australians are being taken for mugs.”

A department representative said the “Government is supporting Australian entrepreneurs, farmers, and health and education workers, to showcase the best our nation has to offer on the world stage”.

“Groups include the National Farmers’ Federation, Dairy Australia, The Australian Institute of Energy and the Australian Water Association.”

It is understood 167 applications were submitted for groups to travel to the COP31 Climate Summit.