Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers and Chris Bowen are travelling overseas during the parliamentary recess as Australians face another round of financial pressure.
The prime minister and energy minister are heading to Fiji for a taxpayer-funded climate meeting, while the treasurer is travelling to Japan before a trip to Thailand and Hong Kong.
Mr Albanese will also travel to Antigua and Barbuda in November for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the invitation of King Charles.
He recently faced criticism for his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where he accepted a global citizen award.
The overseas travel comes after the Reserve Bank lifted interest rates to 4.6 per cent, adding about $1,500 a year to repayments on an average $730,000 mortgage.
The RBA has warned inflation remains elevated and left the door open to another rate rise if price pressures fail to ease.
Households are also dealing with higher everyday costs, while the government continues to run a substantial deficit and carry record levels of debt.
The government has defended its management of the economy, with Mr Chalmers arguing spending as a share of the economy has fallen since Labor came to office.
The latest Final Budget Outcome showed the 2025-26 deficit was $22.3 billion, although that was $6 billion better than the May Budget forecast.
Australia’s total debt remains close to $1 trillion.
Mr Chalmers said about two-thirds of the debt had been accumulated by the Coalition.
The spending debate comes as the government sends senior ministers overseas for a series of international engagements.
Mr Chalmers is travelling to Japan for more than 20 meetings over 48 hours, where he will meet some of the country’s wealthiest and most influential investors.
He is expected to promote Australia as an artificial intelligence leader and renewable energy hub, while also highlighting the nation’s $4.8 trillion superannuation system as a source of investment capital.
“Whether it’s in critical minerals, energy, AI or industrial decarbonisation, Australia has a lot to offer and a lot to gain from more trade, more investment, and closer economic ties to Japan,” Mr Chalmers said.
He is also scheduled to travel to Thailand and Hong Kong later this month for meetings with G20 finance partners and APEC counterparts.
Mr Albanese has joined Mr Bowen in Fiji, a month after the prime minister travelled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
Mr Bowen’s travel record has already come under scrutiny.
Figures released in August revealed he and his team spent $345,000 over a 46-day period of international travel, equivalent to about $52,200 a week.
His trips included Europe, Asia, the United States, South America and the Pacific.
Separate analysis found Mr Bowen had spent more than $420,000 on air travel since 2022, excluding staff travelling with him.
The flights covered about 571,000km.
Mr Bowen’s latest trip has taken him to Fiji and Tuvalu for the Australian-organised pre-COP meeting ahead of COP31.
The government has faced questions over the cost of the summit and how many international leaders it has attracted.
Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan said taxpayers were being asked to fund an unnecessary overseas event.
“Australians don’t need a $150 million overseas talkfest,” Mr Tehan told News24.com.au.
“Chris Bowen needs to come clean on how many leaders are turning up to his vanity project.”
He also questioned whether the government had covered accommodation and travel costs for some attendees.
“The whole thing is a complete farce, sadly at the taxpayers’ expenses – $150 million is being wasted because of Chris Bowen’s ego.
Mr Bowen has defended the summit, arguing its purpose is to elevate Pacific voices ahead of the major climate negotiations.
The government says ministers and attendees from more than 50 countries will take part.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged international leaders to make the trip.
“We do want to elevate Pacific voices and Pacific priorities through the Forum. We will continue to encourage leaders to come,” she said.
“Come to the Pacific and see for yourself the reality of climate change for Pacific Island nations.”
The overseas travel comes as Australians are being urged to absorb another round of financial pressure.
The RBA said inflation remained elevated when it lifted the cash rate to 4.6 per cent.
“Inflation remains elevated and some of the upside risks flagged in August are materialising,” the RBA said.
Mr Chalmers acknowledged the pressure on households after the rate decision.
“We know that people are under pressure, we know that when interest rates go up that adds to the pressures that people are already feeling,” he told News24.com.au.
“That’s why from a government point of view we recognise first of all the independent role of the Reserve Bank.
“But secondly we take responsibility for managing the budget and the economy in the most responsible way that we can.”
According to the latest News24.com.au / YouGov Pulse poll, roughly two-thirds of voters blame the federal government in some capacity for Tuesday’s rate decision.
The poll, conducted between September 15 and 21, asked voters who they thought would be to blame for what was then considered a likely rate rise.
The poll found 64 per cent of people blamed either the government alone or both the government and RBA for the rate increase.
Thirty per cent said the federal government was most to blame, while another 34 per cent blamed the government and RBA equally.
Just nine per cent blamed the Reserve Bank alone, seven per cent pointed to banks and other lenders, while 20 per cent were unsure.