The Labor government has established a dedicated “Office of the Presidency” within the Climate Change Department to support Minister Chris Bowen in his role at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31).
Bowen will serve as COP31 President of Negotiations, responsible for building international relationships with countries, institutions, businesses and stakeholders to secure the necessary climate commitments.
Australia holds this central position ahead of the major United Nations climate conference to be held in Türkiye in November 2026.
A May 1 organisational chart (pdf) from the Climate Change Department showed a new International Climate Negotiations structure under Sally Box, including the Office of the Presidency led by Ingrid Lundberg.
Freedom of Information (FOI) documents (pdf) obtained by the Opposition also revealed that a dedicated “COP31 Media Operations” unit has been established.
The documents showed internal emails from the media operations team discussing strategies for handling Bowen’s COP31 role and lines to counter opposition criticism, including attacks portraying him as a “part-time energy minister.”
Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan questioned the need for the new office and Labor’s spending priorities.
“Chris Bowen has serious questions to answer over this budget blowout, including: how many people work for him in the Office of the Presidency; what is the cost of the Office of the Presidency and; how on earth does Bowen justify spending over $200 million (US$143 million) on his COP vanity project when more than 230,000 Australians are in energy hardship?” he said.
The federal budget (pdf) released on May 12 revealed $12.3 billion would be spent on climate change in forward estimates, including $19.9 million on extending Australia’s Climate Change Engagement via COP31.In addition, the government will provide $147.8 million over three years to support engagement with international trade partners in connection with Australia’s role in COP31.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Climate Change Department for comment.
