Senate slaps down ETS

2 Dec 2009, 11:54 am   -   Source: AAP
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The Senate has rejected the government's emissions trading scheme 41 votes to 33, giving Labor a trigger for a double dissolution election. (Getty)

The Senate has rejected the government's emissions trading scheme 41 votes to 33, giving Labor a trigger for a double dissolution election. (Getty)

The Senate has rejected the government's emissions trading scheme 41 votes to 33, giving Labor a trigger for a double dissolution election.

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The Senate has rejected the government's controversial emission trading scheme, giving Labor a trigger for a double dissolution election.

The Senate voted 41 to 33 to reject legislation setting up the carbon pollution reduction scheme.

The vote, taken at 11.47am (AEDT) on Wednesday, followed more than 40 hours of debate in the upper house.

Liberal senators Sue Boyce and Judith Troeth voted with the government, but their support was not enough to give Labor a majority.

The crossbench, including the five Australian Greens, voted with other coalition senators.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had wanted the deal - negotiated with ousted Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull - passed before the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, starting on December 7.

New leader Tony Abbott, who was elected yesterday, immediately withdrew Opposition support for the bills.

"The Senate has delivered a big win to the people of Australia who have been saved from a massive new tax that would have been foisted on them without proper scrutiny," Mr Abbott told reporters.

Mr Abbott has said it would be "folly" for Australia to establish an emissions trading scheme before the United States had settled on its model and before Copenhagen.

He said the senators who voted against party policy would not be punished.

"I respect what senators Troeth and Boyce did, there'll be no recriminations," Mr Abbott said after the vote.

"I respect their position, they respect the party's position.

"In our party, people have that right, it's good that it's exercised rarely."

Family First senator Steve Fielding, who voted against the government, said the vote was a win for commonsense.

"Australian families and business will breathe a sigh of relief today knowing that they won't be slugged with a massive tax," he said in a statement.

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Your Comments

wrong debate.

geoff - from melbourne, 3 years ago

The debate is not weather Climate Change is happening, the Himalayas were once the ocean floor. Climate Change on earth has occurred over billions of years before humans existed. The debate should be if human impact is causing Climate Change! The media spins; placement of the Kiribati stories directly after the climategate scandal stories. WAKE UP! RESEARCH THE FACTS! A massive Tax will not stop CC it will only take billions out of our economy each year, sending our money to offshore banks.

Action needed

Dylan - from Melbourne, 3 years ago

The world has been talking about action on climate change since, if not before, the Rio Summit in 1992. 17 years of limited action later, and the world's poor are already feeling the affects of climate change in places such as the Pacific Islands and Bangladesh. The world's poor have contributed the least to climate change and will suffer the most. Wealthy countries need to take decisive action at Copenhagen rather that another statement of intent.

its about time.

geoff - from melbourne, 3 years ago

This is great news for all Australians and the rest of the world. This Copenhagen meeting needs to be cancelled, there is overwhelming evidence that the data was tampered with from day one. The science should be under scrutiny, The IMF and world banks need to be exposed for the fraud they are. The Copenhagen treaty needs to be canned as it is the grounds for a world government and global dictatorship. Lord Christopher Monckton was right all along!

Director

Steve - from Sydney, 3 years ago

This is excellent news - hopefully we can get a more balanced and open trading scheme thats viable for Australia in the future. - i suppose i will now be branded a heretic against the new climate change religion.

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