While Australia’s Foreign Minister attends the UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit in New York, the nation’s Environment Minister will be in court fighting for new coal mines.

The Minister will try to show that “Australia is back at the table of climate leaders”, and she will try to get Pacific countries’ diplomatic support for Australia’s bid to host a major international climate conference in 2026.

So it’s unfortunate for Minister Wong that in the week she is overseas trying to avoid the topic of her government’s ongoing support for 100+ new gas and coal projects, her colleague, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, will be in court fighting to approve new coal mines.

At the risk of sounding repetitious, in late 2023, Australia’s Environment Minister is in court opposing environment groups and on the side of coal companies, arguing to approve new coal projects despite their climate impacts.

Concurrently, Australia’s Foreign Minister will try to convince the world that Australia takes climate change seriously.