Barack Obama's climate speech was always going to be a 'distraction' from G20: Government frontbencher Jamie Briggs

Updated

Federal Government frontbencher Jamie Briggs says US president Barack Obama's speech in Brisbane at the weekend was always going to draw some attention away from the G20 Leaders' Summit.

Mr Obama delivered a speech to a capacity crowd at the University of Queensland on Saturday ahead of his official G20 duties in Brisbane.

In his speech he called for Australia and other nations to "step up" and do more to deal with climate change.

"If China and the United States can agree on this, then the world can agree on this. We can get this done and it is necessary for us to get it done," he told the cheering crowd.

Mr Obama used the address to formally announce a $US3 billion contribution to an international fund to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change.

Mr Briggs, the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, said he was not surprised the comments had been given prominent coverage.

"Whatever Barack Obama did on the weekend was going to be a distraction. That's the reality," he told Sky News.

"He's a massive, a massive distraction wherever he is."

Mr Briggs said the strong rhetoric from Mr Obama was not matched by action and that Australia was already doing more than most countries.

He said the Australian Government should be given credit for G20 outcomes, singling out Treasurer Joe Hockey for his "legwork" in organising the agenda and Prime Minister Tony Abbott for "pulling off the weekend".

"The sort of adulation that Obama receives internationally or within Australia he could only dream of receiving back in the US," he said.

By contrast, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett described Mr Obama's address as a "call to arms".

He told the West Australian newspaper he thinks Australia "can be bolder" in its emissions reduction targets.

Sources said the discussion among leaders within the G20 summit was robust, with one European Union official describing the climate debate between Mr Abbott and Mr Obama as "trench warfare".

Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio he was confident Australia was taking strong action through the Government's climate policy.

"By sensible policies that don't impose massive additional burdens on people we are going to get our emissions down," he said.

"It's pretty easy for the president of the United States to attract more attention that the Prime Minister of Australia, that's kind of the natural order of things."

Citizens, especially the next generation, you have to keep raising your voices, because you deserve to live your lives in a world that is cleaner and that is healthier and that is sustainable. Barack Obama

Mr Obama's speech was well received by his Brisbane audience, rousing cheers from the crowd for his comments on climate change and gender equality.

"But let me say particularly ... to the young people here, combating climate change cannot be the work of governments alone," Mr Obama said.

"Citizens, especially the next generation, you have to keep raising your voices, because you deserve to live your lives in a world that is cleaner and that is healthier and that is sustainable, but that's not going to happen unless you are heard."

Mr Obama's speech made reference to Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned could be at risk if more is not done to reduce carbon emissions.

"The United States and Australia have a lot in common and one of the things we have in common is we produce a lot of carbon," he said.

"Historically we have not been the most energy efficient of nations, which means we've got to step up."

Topics: climate-change, government-and-politics, federal-government, world-politics, environment, brisbane-4000, united-states

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