THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP
Leader of The Nationals
Shadow Agriculture Minister
20 November 2025
Labor’s failed $2 billion COP Summit attempt nothing more than a vanity project
Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor’s failed attempt to host next year’s United Nations Climate Change Summit was never anything more than a vanity project for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
Mr Littleproud said the estimated $2 billion cost to host the Summit showed Labor was out of touch with Australians trying to put food on the table.
“Hosting the COP Summit was never a good idea in the first place, but Minister Bowen was desperate to be seen on the world stage,” Mr Littleproud said.
“This was nothing more than a glorified attempt to have some sort of stage created for Anthony Albanese and Minister Bowen to be able to gratuitously say how good they are, all at the taxpayers’ expense.
“The Prime Minister has been shamed into giving up. Taxpayers would have be forced to pay the bill amid a cost-of-living crisis, where recent charity reports show that nearly a third of Australian families are struggling to put dinner on the table. Yet even after ceding hosting rights to Turkey, the Minister still couldn’t give it up, demanding to be given ‘all powers’ as COP president of negotiations. This is despite the fact that there is nothing to negotiate – the countries involved are already reducing their emissions.
“This is an embarrassing conclusion to Labor’s expensive desperate attention seeking, with taxpayers’ money already wasted.
“Minister Bowen cares more about back-slapping world stage extravaganzas than looking after fellow Australians. Labor is out of touch and has already shown this, by being prepared to spend $9 trillion on its net zero plan, putting Medicare and the NDIS at risk.
“Labor is not prioritising Australian households and it’s showing in our energy bills. The focus should be on cheaper energy, not expensive bids for climate talkfests. The Nationals have a cheaper, fairer, better solution that will lower the cost of electricity bills for households and businesses.”
