Shadow minister Dan Tehan demands Chris Bowen justify $4.2 million Fiji resort booking as Australians face ‘energy hardship’

Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan has challenged Chris Bowen to explain why taxpayers should fund up to $4.2 million in luxury accommodation for international climate delegates.

The Coalition seized on news that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has set aside up to $4.2 million to reserve accommodation at three five-star Fiji resorts ahead of a pre-COP31 meeting in October. 

The meeting, which Mr Bowen will chair as co-president of the UN climate negotiations, will bring together international delegates before the COP31 summit in Turkey later this year. 

Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Mr Tehan said the spending raised serious questions about the government’s priorities. 

“Chris Bowen said he was going to absolutely focus on value for money for the taxpayer,” he said. 

“When you’ve got 244,000 people facing energy hardship in Australia and that number is growing, Chris Bowen needs to explain how this is value for money for the Australian taxpayer.” 

He said Australians struggling to pay electricity bills would struggle to understand why millions of dollars had been allocated to accommodation for overseas delegates. 

“Because when you’re in energy hardship and you’re struggling to be able to pay your power bill, I don’t think you’re going to see this as value for money,” Mr Tehan said. 

The Liberal MP also pointed to Labor’s election commitment to reduce household electricity bills. 

“People will remember they were promised that they were going to see $275 come off their power bills. So, how is this going to help in that regard?” Mr Tehan questioned. 

According to AusTender documents, the department has reserved accommodation across three luxury resorts on Fiji’s Denarau Island. 

The largest allocation, worth up to $2.11 million, is for the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort. 

A further $2.08 million has been earmarked for the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa, while almost $20,000 has been allocated for the Radisson Blu Resort Fiji. 

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has insisted the $4.2 million figure represents the maximum possible value of the contracts rather than the final taxpayer cost. 

A department spokesperson said accommodation had been secured on a flexible basis and unused rooms could be cancelled and refunded. 

The department also said Turkey would cover its own accommodation costs and that expenses would be recovered from other participating delegations. 

Mr Tehan questioned whether taxpayers would ultimately recover the full amount. 

“Well, what I’d like to hear from Chris Bowen is, is how this pre-COP negotiations … how is this value for money,” he said. 

“He sent bureaucrats from his own department over to scope this when we have an embassy in Fiji.” 

He also pressed the government to explain how the cost recovery arrangements would work. 

“They were asked in Senate estimates, ‘who will pay to help with the cost of recovery?’ They said Turkey. But they couldn’t name anyone else,” he said. 

“So who else will?” 

Mr Tehan argued Australians deserved to know how the spending would improve energy affordability at home. 

“The bigger question is, how is this helping in Australia with energy affordability? 

“That is the big question. And we haven’t heard a sensible answer to that question.”