Libs' stance 'unclear' on climate scheme

It's not clear if the federal opposition will consider passing the emissions trading
scheme this year.
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says his party will commission research on
emissions trading, which will be completed by the time the Senate is due to vote on
the scheme in August.
"That will enable us to be able to come back and say, given that Mr Rudd is not
prepared to do the sensible thing and postpone the completion of the scheme until
early next year ... it will enable us to come back with amendments that we would
propose to the legislation," he told Network Ten on Sunday.
"We will be able to present amendments, hopefully the government will accept them.
"If the government doesn't accept them then of course we'll have to work out what
happens next."
Mr Turnbull's comments appeared to indicate that the opposition would consider
passing an amended ETS in August.
Previously he had said the opposition would not pass an ETS this year.
But on Monday, the opposition's emissions trading spokesman Andrew Robb said there
had been no change of policy.
He said Mr Turnbull had "not put a timeframe" on when amendments would be proposed,
in his comments on the weekend.
"Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday that we are prepared and looking to negotiate in
the months ahead," Mr Robb told ABC Radio.
"Now that is not different to our position that we have maintained for some time now."