Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for the Environment. I refer to reports that last night, when the minister was told that the former President of Kiribati was in Australia to deliver a message on climate change, the environment minister told the former president:

I know why you’re here. It is for the cash. For the Pacific it’s always about the cash. I have my chequebook here. How much do you want?

Does the minister deny saying those words to the former President of one of Australia's Pacific neighbours and one of the nations most affected by climate change and sea level rise in the world?

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