Speakers: Mr Mike Kaiser, Varun Ghosh, Unknown Speaker

Transcript

Mr Mike Kaiser

>> Briefly chair. Yes. >> Uh good morning chair. Uh firstly I know I speak on behalf of everyone in the department in expressing my shock at recent events in Wangora. Uh our thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery are with the member for Indai, her family, her staff and the community. Uh there's many things that the department has achieved since the last hearings uh that I could cover, but I wanted particularly to focus these introductory remarks on the recent pre-OP event in Fiji and the departmental staff who traveled to support it. The starting point is straightforward. The Australian government decided to help host and fund a pre-OP in Fiji in partnership with Pacific nations. Holding the event in Fiji created logistical challenges, but once the government had made that decision, our responsibility as public servants was to deliver it well, use public resources responsibly, and achieve the government's objectives. And that meant considerably more than sending an Australian delegation to a conference. We were helping to deliver the practicalities of a major international event in a foreign country while also pursuing important climate and diplomatic objectives for Australia and the Pacific. The operational task included security, venues and suppliers, transport protocol, media, and arrangements for leaders and delegates. As reported, the event management costs alone associated with this effort were of the order of $20 million. Along with these logistical tasks, our negotiators, policy officials, and Pacific teams had to deliver the substantive program and engage with governments and international partners on the issues that matter to our nation and the Pacific ahead of COP 31. We assess the effort required to do both to deliver the event successfully and to achieve its broader objectives. On that basis, I approved the travel to Fiji of 51 departmental officials for operational delivery and 48 supporting negotiations and engagement. My decision needs to be understood in the context of the task the government gave us, the roles those staff performed and what they delivered. From the 5th to the 8th of October in Fiji, more than 4,000 people from over 100 countries participated, including 53 leaders and ministers. There were 135 events across four venues with more than 130 international journalists covering proceedings. But the purpose was not simply to stage a large and well-run event. There were two broader objectives. First, to put Pacific priorities at the center of the international climate discussion and help shape the agenda towards COP 31 in Turkey. This included keeping 1.5 degrees within reach, adaptation, climate finance, and the ocean climate relationship. Second, to strengthen Australia's relationships with Pacific neighbors by bringing the international community into the region to engage directly with Pacific perspectives and priorities. I believe those objectives were met and I am very proud of what our people achieved with our partners in Fiji and across the Pacific. Thank you, Chair.

Varun Ghosh

>> Thank you. Uh, Secretary Kaiser, if it's possible for you to table a copy of your opening statement, that would be um, gratefully received. >> Sure. >> Uh, before we commence with corporate matters and general questions, I just remind senators that this part of the program relates to matters concerning central departmental administration, such as building services, ICT, staffing levels, and media procurement. Questions relating to individual policies and programs should be addressed to officials when specific programs are considered in subsequent sessions and outcomes. And on that note, I will go to Senator Henderson.