Energy Minister Chris Bowen has faced sharp questioning over revelations that public servants spent almost $500,000 on overseas business class trips in the first two months of 2026. Sunrise host Nat Barr pressed Bowen on Tuesday morning, asking how the government can justify such costs to taxpayers struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Barr noted that the $485,602 bill covered trips to Turkey, Fiji, Germany and Korea, all taken on business-class flights in January and February. Bowen defended the expenses, stating that business class is the normal standard of travel for senior public servants under all governments. When Barr questioned the need for business class on a three-hour flight to Fiji, Bowen argued that Fiji is a very important country in the region and such travel is necessary to maintain Australia's influence in the Pacific.
Barr countered that many companies now restrict business class travel to top executives, and that taxpayers' money should be spent more carefully. Bowen responded that the travelers were very senior public servants, not junior clerks, and that all travel expenses are closely scrutinized before approval. He added that there will always be public servants traveling to represent the country.
The controversy comes amid reports that the government is set to spend almost $150 million funding Bowen's new role as president of negotiations at the next major UN climate conference, with more than 100 bureaucrats assembled to support the effort. Bowen clarified that the actual cost of Australia's role at the conference is closer to $50 million, as part of a broader $150 million engagement in the Pacific. He acknowledged it is a lot of money but said such important work comes at a cost, comparing it to past spending under Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott.
Barr dismissed comparisons to previous governments as irrelevant to the current economic climate. Bowen insisted the government is keeping costs as low as possible, noting that the event will primarily be held in Turkey, which will bear much of the expense.
