There's a principle of government that I've been citing for years: What government does for anyone, it must do for everyone, or it must do for no one. That ties directly into the ethical disaster that is "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion," as those practices offer benefits to some people preferentially over others, due solely to innate characteristics like skin color and ethnic background. Apply this to things like, say, a government program that offers grants to persons traveling to, say, an international conference; then that grant's guidelines for applicants must not be based on skin color or ethnic background, but only on objective criteria like education, experience, and qualifications.
I know, I know; that's not how things are done these days. Here in the United States, DEI programs are being gradually dismantled, although the people - leftists all - who maintain the value of these programs are fighting that every inch of the way.
In Australia, though, the Aussie government's Climate Change Minister, one Chris Bowen, wants to dump $4.2 million in the Aussie taxpayers' hard-earned into sending "diverse and underrepresented" people to the United Nations' next conference on climate change, COP31, and to the pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji.
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.
So, DEI horse squeeze piled on top of climate scoldery. It's stupid all the way down. What's worse, the $4.2 million seems to be only for the "pre-meeting" in Fiji. Presumably Mr. Bowen will expect the taxpayers to cough up more for the main event in Turkey, to the tune of $650,000. The application for that event states in part:
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.
OK, I have some questions.
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First of all, isn't anthropogenic climate change, which is the only aspect of climate change these people are panicking over, supposed to be a matter of science? If that's the case, shouldn't Australia not be worried about sending a "diverse and underrepresented" delegation, so much as they should be sending their most highly qualified researchers in the fields of climate science, atmospheric science, and geology? Those people might actually be able to contribute, whereas a patronage client, chosen for their ethnicity or skin color, may well be, frankly, useless.
Second, what, precisely, is to be gained by spending all this money to "enhance inclusion and diversity" of the Australian delegation? To what end? What, at the end of the day, is Australia really trying to achieve here? Can we say what the real outcome of this is likely to be, namely, sending a bunch of people with nothing to contribute beyond enhancing the color palette of any group photos, to party on the taxpayer's dime?
Oh, and as far as Fiji's concerned, all attendees would be well-advised to watch their sixes - or just stay in the venue. Watts Up With That's Eric Worrell reports:
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.
At least the COP31 people won't have to clear a bunch of rainforest for a new four-lane highway in Fiji.
This entire offering is pretty much the definition of doubling down on stupid. It's a double witch's brew of climate scoldery and DEI nitwittery, rolled into one big, expensive package. Fortunately for us, the Trump administration has and presumably still will eschew sending an American delegation to this waste of time and money.
