A Costly Conference Narrowly Avoided
The Albanese government's unsuccessful attempt to host the COP31 climate summit in Adelaide in 2025 should be viewed not as a diplomatic failure, but as a lucky escape for Australian taxpayers. While Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has portrayed the compromise deal with Turkey as an outstanding result, the reality is that this outcome prevents Australia from footing a colossal bill estimated at a staggering $2 billion.
Questionable Spending Amid Economic Pressure
This potential expenditure came at a time when the International Monetary Fund is pressuring the government to control public spending and pursue serious tax reform. For an administration seemingly unwilling to heed this advice, committing to such a massive outlay was ill-advised. As Opposition Leader Sussan Ley rightly highlighted, with households struggling through a severe cost-of-living crisis, there are undoubtedly far better uses for $2 billion.
The details of the bid suggest it may have been more about political grandstanding than substantive climate action. As part of the concession to Turkey, Minister Bowen secured the role of COP president for the purposes of negotiations, granting him the powers traditionally held by the host nation's appointee. This raises questions about whether the primary goal was effective climate policy or securing a global platform for the Minister and the Prime Minister.
The Staggering Cost of Climate Diplomacy
The government had already invested significant, undisclosed sums in lobbying for the Adelaide bid. This is evident in the enormous delegation sent to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, which registered 494 people – a number that dwarfs previous summits and suggests a substantially higher cost.
For perspective, attendance at COP29 in Baku last year cost Australian taxpayers approximately $1.67 million for delegation travel and an additional $870,000 for the Australian Pavilion, bringing the total visible expenditure to over $2.5 million. It is reasonable to estimate that the cost for COP30 could reach between $4 million and $6 million.
When compared to other major global events, the value proposition of hosting a COP summit is weak. While the Paris 2024 Olympics will cost France an estimated $14.5 billion, that event generates billions in media rights revenue. In contrast, nobody is paying billions for the media rights to the highly technical and often tedious COP31 negotiations.
The so-called victory of securing pre-COP events in an unspecified Pacific Island state appears to be a smaller-scale spending exercise. While supporting the Pacific Resilience Fund is a laudable goal, the financial and environmental costs of flying thousands of delegates across the globe would be massive, creating a significant carbon footprint for an event dedicated to reducing emissions.
The government's willingness to consider a $2 billion climate conference, despite urgent IMF advice for fiscal tightening, reveals a troubling disconnect from the economic challenges facing ordinary Australian families. This near-miss must serve as a crucial reminder that diplomatic posturing on the world stage cannot take precedence over responsible spending at home.
