A senior government member has lashed out at US President Barack Obama, claiming he's a "lame duck" with "Buckley's chance" of achieving his emissions reduction targets.
Liberal senator Ian Macdonald accused Mr Obama of preaching to Australians about climate change and its effect on the Great Barrier Reef, claiming the real problem is in the president's own backyard.
In a highly publicised speech on the sidelines of the G20 in Brisbane, Mr Obama stressed the urgency of protecting the reef.
But Senator Macdonald took offence to the speech and used debate on an unrelated bill on Monday to attack Mr Obama's stance on climate change.
He said the US and China were the countries destroying the reef, as two of the largest emitters of carbon in the world.
"Don't come here and raise issues of domestic politics when you've got a real problem in your own country," Senator Macdonald said.
While lauding an ambitious carbon reduction deal between the US and China as a "great" vision, Senator Macdonald said Mr Obama had "Buckley's chance of getting any real movement on carbon".
After calling him a "nice fellow", Senator Macdonald labelled him a "lame duck of a president" whose views were not supported by his congress.
"So what strength do we put on his promises? Not a lot I would say," he told parliament.
Senator Macdonald again defended Australia's five per cent by 2020 emissions reduction target, saying the world can have confidence it will be achieved - unlike the US target of 26-28 per cent by 2025.
