Coalition Stays Away From United Nations Climate Change Meeting

Australia will not be represented by a senior elected member of the Abbott government at next week's major round of international climate change negotiations starting Monday in Warsaw.

It is also unclear whether the delegation of diplomats representing Australia at the talks has been given a final negotiating mandate for the meeting.

The Abbott government on Wednesday cancelled meetings with business representatives and foreign diplomats to brief them on Australia's stance at the climate talks.

The Warsaw climate summit is the first major round of United Nations climate change negotiations since the Abbott government took office. Countries are normally represented by ministers in the second week of major climate meetings.

The negotiations through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are centred on hammering out a new international agreement to limit global greenhouse gas emissions. The new agreement is due to be finished at a meeting in Paris in 2015 and come into force from 2020.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has remit over the international climate change negotiations in the Abbott government. But her office confirmed the she would not be at the Warsaw climate talks, with Ms Bishop instead attending the  coming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.

A spokesman for Environment Minister Greg Hunt also indicated he would not be attending the talks.

John Howard on Climate Change in the 2007 Election (He needed the votes! He still lost his seat!)