The first week of the UN climate change talks in Poznan, Poland are coming to an end, and so far, the 30-strong Australian delegation has remained resolutely silent during the sessions. According to my contacts on the ground at the meeting, the Australian delegates have hardly said a word – apart from suggesting time-wasting agenda changes.

You have to wonder why the Australian Government paid for 30 people to go on this Christmas junket – flying business class, being put up in the Sheraton – if they weren’t going to discuss the issues that were on the agenda?

In earlier times, we might have hoped that our delegates would keep their mouths shut so they wouldn’t play such an obstructive role – but at this time, their silence is probably their most powerful weapon.

The key issue for the Poznan meeting is the development of a “shared vision” for the global community to take action on climate change. It’s important. This vision will define the goals for the levels of warming that the official global leaders of the world are prepared to accept.

What seems to be happening at the meeting is that the countries that want to delay action on climate change are talking down the possibility of success. If they can stall the process at Poznan, it will make it all the more difficult to reach an agreement at Copenhagen at the end of 2009, and then they can get away with delaying action on climate change for another few years.

Australians have every right to ask – what’s going on? They voted for Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong to act on climate change. We didn’t vote for another term of Howard era obstructionism.

Governments of the world agreed to a two-year timeline for negotiations for a new deal on climate action at Bali, 2007. Poznan is a very important step in these negotiations. The meeting needs to produce a clear plan for the lead up to the Copenhagen meeting in December next year.

When climate change minister Penny Wong and her counterparts arrive in Poznan next week, they need to step up to the plate and help the “shared vision” for climate action become a reality. There is no reason that the governments of the world cannot agree to an international climate action plan by December next year.

They simply have to.

This post was originally blogged at Crikey’s Rooted blog.