Senate delays vote on emissions trading

The chance of an early election based on climate change appears to have faded for
the time being after the Senate delayed a vote on emissions trading.
In the last week of parliament before the long winter break, senators voted to
consider other bills ahead of the emissions trading scheme legislation.
That means a vote on emissions trading is unlikely this week.
It probably will not take place until August, which would kill off the chances of
the government getting the first stage of a double dissolution election trigger
before the break.
In order to get a double dissolution trigger, the government must fail to pass the
same bill twice, with a gap of three months between the two votes.
Nonetheless, the emissions trading scheme, due to get underway in 2011, appears
doomed to fail in the Senate because no one likes it but Labor.
The coalition teamed with two crossbench senators to push back the vote on the
scheme on Tuesday.
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong accused the opposition of "playing political games".
"They have been filibustering, wasting time, using every tactic they can to delay
debate on this bill," Senator Wong said.
It would now be "very difficult" to find the time to debate the bill this week.
Senator Wong urged the opposition to allow for extended sittings of the Senate this
week to get through all the bills.
Coalition Senate Leader Nick Minchin said it was fair enough to push back debate on
the scheme because it did not start for two years.
More pressing bills, such as those related to an increase in the aged pension and
the pension age, as well as the OzCar scheme, should be debated first, he said.
"(The government) are not prioritising their legislation properly," Senator Minchin
said.
Greens leader Bob Brown sided with the government, saying it was time to vote on the
emissions trading scheme.
The Senate will now debate nine bills before it gets to laws relating to the scheme.
The chamber is due to rise on Thursday evening but senators may allow debate late
into the night and into Friday.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon has indicated he may seek to have further
modelling undertaken on tackling climate change.
He wants to canvass alternative schemes to the emissions trading scheme, and the
impact of more ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The opposition says it will not pass an emissions trading scheme this year but it is
not clear if it will do so next year.
The success of the leadership of Malcolm Turnbull is pivotal - he is one of the
coalition's strongest supporters of emissions trading.
The government is struggling to get its climate change plan off the ground.
A vote on a scheme to hugely boost renewable energy has also been delayed.