Cabinet minister slammed for shocking remarks telling Pacific nations its always about cash

Realtor, 32, who blocked her black neighbor from entering his luxury condo and called 911 DENIES she is racist and claims she was only concerned for her safety
Feds arrest senior Treasury Department employee over claims she leaked 'suspicious activity reports' on Paul Manafort, Russian embassy and alleged Russian spy Maria Butina
Apple launches privacy website that reveals EXACTLY what the firm knows about you - here's how to download your data
Get voting Swiftly! Taylor urges fans to go to the polls EARLY in another politically-charged Instagram post after voter registration soared by 65,000 following her Democrat endorsement
Tornado alley is shifting east: Baffled researchers reveal twisters are moving across the US - and they don't know why
How FINGER LENGTH could reveal your sexuality: Study finds women with more 'male' hands - where the ring and index digits are of different sizes - 'are more likely to be lesbian'
Disaster in Texas as fast-moving floodwaters destroy a bridge and leave at least four dead - as officials warn more flooding is likely in the coming days due to record rainfall
More than 1,000 people are still missing a week after deadly Hurricane Michael flattened communities across the Florida Panhandle
Search intensifies for missing 13-year-old Wisconsin girl after hundreds of tips pour in, as family reveals that the front door of her home was SHOT in
'Soccer while black': Woman dubbed 'Golf cart Gail' calls the cops on an African American father for shouting instructions at his son during a game
New Jersey judge who 'asked a woman why she didn't close her legs to stop a sexual assault' to have a hearing on his judicial conduct
Nice guys really DO finish last: Pleasant people are more likely to go bankrupt because they care LESS about money
EXCLUSIVE: Let me love you! Justin Bieber is seen tenderly wiping crumbs off Hailey Baldwin's face and then smothering her with kisses during romantic breakfast date as he tells fan, 'yes, we ARE married.'
'There's absolutely no reason to have this level of vitriol over a single vote': Susan Collins' husband reveals ricin threat letter specifically mentioned the Republican senator's support for Kavanaugh
The oldest fossils on Earth could be 'just some rocks', new study finds
Hanging up his wings: Puppeteer, 84, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since Sesame Street's season premiere retires after nearly 50 years on the beloved children's show
'I do it so guys will buy me drinks': Married people reveal why they secretly REMOVE their wedding rings in startling online confessions
Florida barber, 34, is among seven arrested in undercover pedophile operation but he claims he was only there because he 'wanted to see an undercover sting in action'
The grief-stricken mom of a cheerleader who was killed by a careless driver has spoken of her fury after the motorist was let off with a $120 fine
Is this why Kate is yet to visit her nephew? Palace reveals the duchess was at a private engagement the morning after Pippa gave birth
Does the 'maternity salad' REALLY induce labor? OBGYNs weigh in as Hillary Duff joins the legions of heavily pregnant women who've been turning to notorious LA dish for 30 years
Trump casts doubt on the reputed audio of Jamal Khashoggi's tortured last minutes, saying he will ask for it 'if it exists' and refuses to say if FBI will aid 'murder' probe
Secret Service stops reporter asking Jared Kushner about Saudi Arabia as questions mount over his close friendship with Crown Prince thought to have ordered Jamal Khashoggi's 'murder'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Turkey as Saudi Arabia faces new claims journalist Jamal Khashoggi was TORTURED and murdered in the regime's consulate

Environment Minister Melissa Price has denied offending Kiribati's former leader
They ran into each other when ex-president Anote Tong wanted to talk to her
She allegedly made the shocking remark saying 'It's always about the cash'

Published: 10:58 EDT, 17 October 2018 | Updated: 10:58 EDT, 17 October 2018

e-mail

Environment Minister Melissa Price denies offending the former head of a Pacific island nation with comments about his region always demanding 'cash'.

The environment minister told parliament she bumped into Labor Senator Pat Dodson, who was dining with former Kiribati president Anote Tong, in a Canberra restaurant on Tuesday night.

She was allegedly told Mr Tong wanted to meet with her about climate change.

'Is it about the cash?' Ms Price said in response, Fairfax Media reports.

Environment Minister Melissa Price (pictured) denies offending the former head of a Pacific island nation with comments about his region always demanding 'cash'

Labor Senator Pat Dodson (pictured) was dining with former Kiribati president Anote Tong when the comments were made

'It's always about the cash. I've got my chequebook over there. How much do you want?'

When asked in parliament on Wednesday if she denied the exchange, Ms Price said she 'one hundred per cent' disagreed with Senator Dodson's recollection of the conversation.

However, Labor accused the environment minister of misleading parliament over her explanation, attempting to suspend standing orders in order for Ms Price to correct the record.

'Misleading the House is the one thing that everyone in Westminster has always agreed is the reason a minister has to go,' manager of opposition business Tony Burke t+-old the lower house.

The motion was tied 71-71, causing it to fail as there was no majority.

M-*r Tong has shrugged off the exchange with Ms Price, saying it was 'not important'.

'It's hardly relevant to the mission that I'm trying to embark on,' he told Sky News on Wednesday.

The environment minister told parliament she bumped into Labor Senator Pat Dodson, who was dining with former Kiribati president Anote Tong (pictured) on Tuesday night

Phil Glendenning, director of human right advocacy group the Edmund Rice Centre, was also* at the dinner and has confirmed Senator Dodson's recollection, the ABC reports.

The environment minister says she told Mr Tong the Pacific was a good friend and neighbour to Australia.

'I am very concerned that in some way president Tong has been offended in any way,' she said.

Labor climate spokesman Mark Butler said the exchange was witnessed by a number of other people.

The comments demonstrate a lack of respect for Australia's neighbours in the Pacific, he said.

'How a new minister with responsibility for climate policy can say those words to one of the most respected advocates of strong action on climate change not just in our region but around the world beggars belief,' he told reporters.

International Development Minister Anne Ruston met Mr Tong on Wednesday to reaffirm Australia's commitment to the Pacific.

Labor is also accusing Ms Price of misleading parliament on Wednesday after she said the Great Barrier Reef Foundation could only spend five per cent of its record $444 million grant on administration costs.

The agreement between the foundation and the government states 10 per cent can be spent on administration, Mr Burke says.