FED: Senate resumes climate change debate

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2009
FED: Senate resumes climate change debate

CANBERRA, Dec 1 AAP - The Senate has resumed debate on what is likely to be the government's
doomed legislation setting up an emissions trading scheme.

Consideration of the legislation is taking place against the backdrop of a change in
the Liberal leadership.

The election of Tony Abbott and a party room decision to vote down the legislation
if the coalition can't win a referral to a Senate inquiry almost certainly spells the
end of the ETS.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong accused Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce -
who has led the fight against the carbon pollution reduction scheme - of not being able
to hide his triumphalism.

"The extremists and climate change deniers have taken over the Liberal Party," she
told parliament.

"The same extremists who delivered this country Work Choices are now in control of
the Liberal Party."

Senator Wong said the government had never purported to be able to wave a magic wand
and fix climate change.

The legislation was about Australia doing its part.

"We will not tackle climate change without a global agreement but we will not get a
global agreement if Australia is not prepared to stump up," she said.

There had been 13 inquiries into climate change and the emissions trading scheme during
the past two years.

"There has been a lot of talking."

Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne said her party would not run up the white
flag as Australia and the US was set to do in the Copenhagen negotiations.

"They know what the science is, they know what they need to do to address the science,"

she told parliament.

"But they do not have the political courage to actually tell people the fact that we
are in an emergency."

AAP mb/rl/dep

KEYWORD: CLIMATE SENATE

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