Turnbull supports delaying of ETS vote

7 Oct 2009, 5:14 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull is defending plans to negotiate over the government's emissions trading scheme but he supports delaying the final vote.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has defended his plans to negotiate with the government on its emissions trading scheme, even as pressure mounts over his leadership.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday, Mr Turnbull said the coalition must negotiate but also support delaying the final vote.

"My view is that we should be engaged in negotiations and discussions with the government but we should not finalise the design of the scheme until after Copenhagen," he said, referring to scheduled UN climate talks in the Danish capital in December.

But National Party members and some Liberal backbenchers oppose negotiating with Labor to pass an amended scheme.

Mr Turnbull appeared unfazed by the storm swirling around him including speculation that shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has several backers for a leadership bid if Mr Turnbull's ETS plans fail.

"I'm sure the party room will support us taking amendments," he said.

He laughed off suggestions that he could lose control of his own party through his tiptoeing on the issue.

"I'm always looking straight ahead and I'm focused on our opponents - the Rudd government."

Opposition MPs are meeting in Melbourne to finalise the ETS amendments later before all coalition MPs meet in Canberra on October 18 to decide whether they will back the plan.

Official coalition policy is not to pass an ETS until after UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December, but the shadow cabinet says it must play ball with Labor when the government brings the once-rejected scheme before parliament again in November.

Meanwhile, the federal government is demanding the coalition rule out a Senate filibuster of legislation setting up an ETS.

"They must do that today," federal Treasurer Wayne Swan told ABC Radio.

The opposition has played down the possibility of a filibuster when the Senate debates the once-rejected legislation in November.

But it has promised an "exhaustive" debate, leading to government claims the opposition would play a "tricky procedural game" to avoid an upper house vote before parliament rises for the long summer break.

"(Opposition Leader) Malcolm Turnbull and the shadow cabinet must rule out using their numbers to block a vote," Mr Swan said.

But he would not say whether the government would insist on such an undertaking before agreeing to negotiate coalition amendments to the legislation.

Mr Swan later told reporters that coalition MPs who opposed the scheme were "dinosaurs".

"There's been a green paper, there has been a white paper, there has been legislation before the parliament for some time, yet the Liberal and National parties and the climate change dinosaurs that populate those parties are now intending to frustrate the vote in the Senate," Mr Swan said.

"It's imperative that Malcolm Turnbull confirms today that he will instruct his senators to proceed to the vote on this very important legislation for the future of Australia."

In the meantime, Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop will move to head off a revolt on emissions trading by her West Australian Liberal colleagues.

The WA Liberal Party's state conference on Saturday will vote on a motion to delay negotiations over the ETS until next year.

Ms Bishop will speak on the conference motion on Saturday and put the case for negotiation.

"That motion has been around for a long time, much has moved on since then," she told ABC Radio on Wednesday, adding she would put the facts "as I know them to be at the time".

Ms Bishop said she would tell the conference about shadow cabinet's plan to amend the scheme to make it better.

She did not dampen speculation the opposition may try to filibuster the ETS legislation in the Senate.

"If this is the greatest challenge of our generation, it should be subject to one of the greatest debates of our generation."

The government should not suppress debate, she said.

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