The future of Australia's carbon trade laws was thrown into new doubt on Thursday when several opposition lawmakers resigned and promised to vote against the plan.
The future of Australia's carbon trade laws was thrown into new doubt on Thursday when several opposition lawmakers resigned and promised to vote against the plan and parliament postponed a final vote until next week.
The Senate had been due to adjourn for the year on Thursday, but agreed to extend its sittings until as late as next Tuesday for a final vote on the stalled package of 11 carbon trade bills.
But a bipartisan agreement to pass the bills hit a new hurdle on Thursday when senior opposition lawmaker Tony Abbott led a series of lawmakers to resign their party positions, saying they could no longer support the opposition's policy.
"This isn't a leadership issue at all. It is a policy issue," Abbott, a senior minister in the former Howard government, told reporters on the third consecutive day of political chaos for opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull.
The resignations of up to six opposition frontbenchers severely undermine Turnbull, who a day earlier survived a leadership ballot with 48 votes to 35 against conservative lawmaker Kevin Andrews.
In the Senate, the government needs the votes of seven opposition lawmakers to pass the carbon trade plan, and it may try to force a final vote late on Thursday to push its laws through and avoid a further opposition revolt.
The government says the laws are crucial for the nation's credibility in fighting climate change and have become a core issue for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who made an election promise two years ago to introduce emissions trading. Rudd could call a snap election if the laws are rejected.
Rudd wants the scheme passed by December to boost the political momentum for a global climate agreement at Dec 7-18 UN climate talks in Copenhagen, where Rudd is playing a key negotiating role.
Australia is the developed world's biggest per-capita carbon emitter. The carbon trade scheme will cover 1,000 of the nation's biggest polluters and 75 percent of emissions, in the most comprehensive scheme outside of Europe.
Abbott, a member of the lower house of parliament, is a leading social conservative and is considered a strong contender for the leadership. A change of opposition leader would see the opposition reverse its support for the carbon trade laws.
However, Abbott ruled out a direct leadership challenge on Thursday, calling instead for Turnbull to reverse his stance on the carbon trade laws and to oppose the package in the Senate.
The extended sittings of parliament, however, give Abbott and other conservatives in the opposition time to lobby to dump Turnbull as leader if a final vote is delayed until next week.
As many as 20 opposition Senators have signalled they will vote against the bills. But up to 15 opposition Senators may support the bills and Turnbull's agreement with the government.
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