Australia foots $150m bill for Fiji climate summit

Australia will spend $150 million funding a pre-COP climate summit in Fiji in October, including $17.2 million for event management and $2 million for broadcasting services, because host country Fiji cannot afford it. Energy Minister Chris Bowen, serving as co-president for negotiations of COP31 in Türkiye, has invited major world leaders including Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron, Sanae Takaichi and Andy Burnham, but none have confirmed attendance. The Opposition criticises the expenditure as excessive for a meeting Australia is not hosting, while the government defends it as supporting Pacific partners on climate challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.