Essay by Eric Worrall
Free Aussie money for all – so long as you can claim to be a representative of an “underrepresented group”.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen’s department slugs taxpayer $4.2 million to put up COP delegates in luxury Fiji hotels
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and his department are set to charge the taxpayer up to $4.2 million to book luxury accommodation in Fiji for foreign bureaucrats.
Laurence Karacsony Digital Reporter
July 21, 2026 – 10:55AM
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and his department have requested up to $4.2 million in taxpayer money to book luxury accommodation in Fiji for foreign bureaucrats.
According to the latest AusTender contracts, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has reserved up to $4,217,040 to host delegates at a pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji between October 5-8.
Mr Bowen will be presiding over the event as the Conference of the Parties co-president.
SkyNews.com.au contacted Mr Bowen’s office for comment.
The documents show up to $2,113,468 has been requested to reserve “hotels, lodging and meeting facilities” at the five-star waterfront Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort.
Rooms cost up to $1,200 a night.
…
Read more: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/climate-change-minister-chris-bowens-department-slugs-taxpayer-42-million-to-put-up-cop-delegates-in-luxury-fiji-hotels/news-story/e28286c5ffffe7cb88d6458de3e5ba6f
I couldn’t find the application page for the Fiji conference, but the grant application page for the Turkish holiday is below;
GO ID:
GO8426
Agency:
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Close Date & Time:
27-Jul-2026 5:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
Show close time for other time zonesPrimary Category:
211002 – Climate Change
Publish Date:
7-Jul-2026
Location:
ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS, Administered Territories
Selection Process:
Open Competitive
Description:
The objective of the grant opportunity is to support the travel of individuals from diverse and underrepresented groups, primarily First Nations Australians and youth (over the age of 18), to attend and contribute to Australia’s inclusive climate engagement at COP31, to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026.
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:
- enhance inclusion and diversity of Australian participation in COP31, the Australian National Pavilion and the COP Climate Action Agenda
- promote voices and perspectives of First Nations Australians and youth (over the age of 18)
- enhance relationships between the Australian Government and Australian stakeholders
- support participation and engagement in the Australian Pavilion’s events program and the COP Action Agenda
- facilitate support and engagement with Australia’s climate negotiations teams
- build practical and operational understanding of the UNFCCC and COP’s process amongst Australian groups and stakeholders.
Eligibility:
To be eligible you must:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
and be one of the following entities:
- an entity, incorporated in Australia
- an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
- a company limited by guarantee
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- a co-operative
- a partnership
- an incorporated not for profit organisation
- an unincorporated association.
You can’t apply if you are:
- any organisation not included in section 4.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- a Regional Development Australia Committee
- a trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
- a non-corporate Commonwealth entity
- an Australian local government agency or body as defined in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- an Australian state/territory government agency or body
- a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) as defined in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- an individual/sole trader.
Find the full eligibility criteria in the grant opportunity guidelines.
Total Amount Available (AUD):
$650,000.00
Estimated Grant Value (AUD):
From $15,000.00 to $20,000.00
Instructions for Application Submission:
To apply, go to: www.business.gov.au/cop-31
Other Instructions:
business.gov.au provides information and advice to customers via a range of channels including phone (13 28 46), email and web chat. Contact us for assistance.
Addenda Available:
Source: https://www.grants.gov.au/Go/Show?GoUuid=92D60D01-4B15-445B-877C-99BD756C239A
If you do get lucky and score some free climate holiday cash for the Fiji holiday, my advice is don’t go walkabout in Fiji’s capital city Suva, it is the most dangerous place I’ve ever visited. Fiji has a serious problem with drug addiction to Kava.
But the resorts are protected by armed guards, and the people who run those resorts ensure visitors who stay on the premises only see the best of what Fiji has to offer.
The Turkish holiday sounds like much more fun. I have a friend who has a holiday home in Antalya, he says it’s like the Gold Coast in Australia – lots of bars, beaches, and parties, and a low risk of violent crime. I’ve only been to Istanbul, I’ve never visited Antalya, but Istanbul is reasonably safe, at least it was last time I visited. Obviously things will be pretty crazy during the climate conference. And Antalya is a one day fast boat ride from troubled places like Syria and Lebanon, so there may be some additional risks during the climate conference.
If any of you do get lucky with the grant money, please write up your experiences for WUWT – we’d all love to hear the full absurdity of how Aussie taxpayer’s money is being wasted on the climate scam.
