Federal opposition leader Tony Abbott has spent the afternoon trying to take the focus from the news Malcolm Turnbull will 'cross the floor 'over ETS by ramming home the message the scheme would take small businesses 'to the cleaners.'
Earlier, former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull savaged the coalition's direct action plan, indicating he will cross the floor to vote with the government on their Emissions Trading Scheme bill.
But this afternoon, Abbott headed to the NSW town of Queanbeyan on Monday to meet Jason Webb, the owner of a dry-cleaning franchise that the coalition says will suffer because of soaring power costs under the ETS.
The coalition says small operators will barely be left with the shirt on their backs because they won't be compensated under the ETS.
Mr Abbott tried his hand at some ironing in front of the gathered media, but struggled with some collars and cuffs. The message though, was clear - everyday activities in Australian homes would cost more with an ETS, Labor's 'great big tax,' as he again called it.
Turnbull slams Coalition's plans
Turnbull earlier said to a near-empty chamber that schemes like that proposed by Mr Abbott, which would give millions of taxpayers' dollars to selected new technologies, were "neither economically efficient nor environmentally effective" compared to a market-based approach.
The MP says any other climate chnage model would create a "recipe for fiscal recklessness".
Mr Turnbull was scathing of the coalition's new direct-action policy which aims to provide financial incentives to industry for reducing carbon emissions.
'Army of lobbyists'
"We all know ... that industry and businesses attended by an army of lobbyists are particularly persuasive and all too effective at getting their sticky fingers into the taxpayer's pocket," he told parliament on Monday.
"Having the government pick projects for subsidy is a recipe for fiscal recklessness on a grand scale.
"And there will always be a temptation for projects to be selected for their political appeal."
A handful of Liberal MPs, including treasury spokesman Joe Hockey, were present in the chamber during Mr Turnbull's speech.
Extra time granted
The government allowed Mr Turnbull an additional 10 minutes to complete his speech as other MPs, including climate change sceptic Wilson Tuckey, wandered into the lower house ahead of a maiden speech by first-time MP Kelly O'Dwyer.
Mr Turnbull said his strong and long-standing personal commitment to an emissions trading scheme prevented him from voting against the government legislation.
Last year, Mr Turnbull committed the Liberals to supporting the legislation before he was dumped in favour of Tony Abbott, who has since released an alternative climate change policy.
On Monday, he urged Australia to have a climate change strategy in place before the next global talks in Mexico later this year.
"Prudence demands that we act to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and do so in a way that is consistent with, and promotes global action to do the same," he said.
'We're all accountable'
"All of us here are accountable, not just to our constituents, but to the generations that will come after them and after us," he said, adding it was parliament's job to legislate for the nation's long-term future.
It was positive that both sides of parliament had agreed to at least a five per cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
"But it is not enough to say that you support these cuts, you must also deliver a strong, credible policy framework that will deliver them."
Without a strong climate change policy, Australia could not expect other countries, such as China and India, to heed the call to tackle global warming.
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