Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop has remonstrated with Prime Minister Tony Abbott after reading in the media that she was to be chaperoned by Trade Minister Andrew Robb at an international climate change summit next week. Sources told The Australian Financial Review that Ms Bishop demanded a “please explain” from Mr Abbott this week after reading in Fairfax Media’s Sun-Herald that Mr Robb would be shadowing her at the United Nations climate change conference in Lima, Peru. “Julie went bananas at the PM,” said one source. The story is doing the rounds at senior levels of the government and fuelling growing discontent among cabinet ministers at Mr Abbott’s office, specifically his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. Mr Robb is junior to Ms Bishop insofar as she is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was not consulted about the “chaperoning” and it has been suggested Mr Robb, a hardliner on climate change policy, was to be sent by Mr Abbott’s office to ensure she did not over-commit Australia on climate change policy. It is understood Ms Bishop also confronted Mr Robb over the matter. The Lima conference is a precursor to a major a UN climate change gathering in Paris in December next year.The Sun-Herald reported that Mr Abbott had personally requested Mr Robb “to chaperone Ms Bishop so he can factor in the economic impacts of any new [post-2020 greenhouse gas reduction] targets Australia considers”. One source familiar with the events said if the government was genuine in its policy reasons for sending another minister to accompany Ms Bishop, it should be Environment Minister Greg Hunt, not the Trade Minister. “It’s like they don’t trust Julie,” he said. Mr Robb is in China but is scheduled to be in South America next week. It is believed he is unenthusiastic about having to keep a watch on Ms Bishop. Australia is under pressure from most of the rest of the developed world to contribute to a UN Green Climate Fund, established to help poorer nations deal with the consequences of climate change. In late 2009, Mr Robb precipitated the end of Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership when he rose in the party room and delivered an unexpected and strong condemnation of pricing carbon. Mr Turnbull fell to Mr Abbott in a coup a few days later, five years ago on Monday this week. Low-level grumbling over Ms Credlin’s influence and the unilateral decision-making from the Prime Minister’s office has grown into something larger in recent weeks as the government reels from self-inflicted strategic errors. Backbench takes action Increasingly despondent MPs have been urging prominent party elders to talk to Mr Abbott about his office. It was reported on Wednesday that frustrated Coalition backbenchers on a policy committee vetoed the fast-tracking of the proposed $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund because they did not believe the government should be opening new policy fronts while struggling to argue for its existing measures. It was a signal from the economics committee that the backbench was pushing back at the centralised decision making and lack of consultation. On Monday, Mr Abbott stood by Ms Credlin, saying it was she and other senior members of his staff who helped the Coalition into government in two terms from its bleak situation in 2009. Ms Bishop declined to comment when approached by the Financial Review on the exchange with Mr Abbott, which occurred earlier this week. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, she played a straight bat when asked about being joined at the Lima conference by Mr Robb. “We will most certainly be involved in the conversation about post-2020 targets. That’s what the Lima conference is all about,” she said. “I’ll be particularly interested in hearing from the major emitters as to their targets and whether they’ll be binding targets.” “It’s all very well for Australia to be lectured by countries that won’t meet their Kyoto targets.” She said it was important both she and Mr Robb attended. “This has significant economic impacts, so both the trade minister and the foreign minister will be there. “That also underscores the importance that we place upon the Lima conference because it’s where we expect to get initial indications of where the major emitters, in particular, will go, post 2020.” Ms Bishop faces another potential internal battle over plans to further cut foreign aid. The Financial Review revealed on Monday the budget is to be hit again in the mid-year economic update to be released in a fortnight.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 02:30:29 +0000