The Australian Greens have flagged that they will fight the federal election on climate change, as the government shelves plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Greens are polling well and could hold the balance of power in the Senate after the election, expected in the second half of this year.
Some of Labor's House of Representative seats in inner cities are also vulnerable to the Greens.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced emissions trading will be pushed back by three years until 2013 at the earliest, breaking one of the major promises that saw him surge to power in 2007.
Greens leader Bob Brown said the government had failed on climate change.
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"Well that's on Kevin Rudd's head," he told ABC Television on Tuesday night of the decision to delay action on climate change and ditch negotiations over a Greens plan to reduce emissions.
"The Greens will go to the election with this action plan, we will want to negotiate it first up after the election if we have the balance of power in the Senate.
"We are not going to wait to 2013."
The Greens hold five Senate seats and say they can pick up more at the election.
"We have a very big constituency out there that ... will be getting more and more behind the Greens as the action party on climate change."
The Greens hold the balance of power in Tasmania and the ACT after polling well in recent elections.
