Turnbull defiant on ETS as MPs revolt

Malcolm Turnbull is digging in for a fight, refusing to stand down from the Liberal
leadership despite a growing belief his position is untenable following a mass
revolt over emissions trading.

The issue is likely to come to a head at a party room meeting on Monday, where Tony
Abbott or - potentially - Joe Hockey could stand for the leadership.
But, refusing to go quietly, Mr Turnbull is challenging the party to blast him out.
"I will not step down. I'll stay leader until the party room removes me as leader,"
he told the Seven Network.
The Liberal Party has descended into chaos following a disputed party room decision
on Tuesday to support a deal with the Rudd government to pass its emissions trading
scheme.
Since Wednesday, 14 MPs and senators have resigned from the front bench or from key
party roles in protest at the ETS decision.
Tony Abbott and nine other colleagues who resigned en masse on Thursday are
demanding the leadership be resolved at a party room meeting on Monday, but Mr
Turnbull's office is giving no guarantee a meeting will go ahead.
A spokesman for Mr Turnbull said nothing had been decided, and it could be Tuesday
rather than Monday.
Mr Abbott told AAP it was his "strong intention" to contest the leadership but
stressed the key for him was a change of policy and a united party.
"This isn't all about me," he said.
He flagged he'd be willing to stand aside and give Mr Hockey a clear run for the
seamless transition that many are seeking.
"But if Joe's not a candidate, I'm there with bells on," he said.
Mr Hockey has repeatedly stated he wouldn't challenge Mr Turnbull, which makes his
candidature less certain given the Liberal leader's refusal to stand aside.
But Liberal sources acknowledged there were negotiations on a possible joint ticket
between Mr Hockey and Queenslander Peter Dutton, who would be in the running for
deputy.
On Friday, Mr Hockey was keeping out of the spotlight and instead turned to social
networking sites Facebook and Twitter to ask the community for their opinion on the
ETS policy and political debate.
His Facebook page was inundated with hundreds of responses, many urging the
coalition to defer a decision on the ETS.
It gives Mr Hockey the opportunity to modify his previous support for the ETS deal,
allowing him to cite public opinion for any change of heart.
The Rudd government was turning the screws on Mr Hockey, urging him to stick by the
deal the Liberals negotiated with the government.
Michael Johnson, one of the 14 Liberals to resign, called on Mr Hockey to make his
intentions on the leadership clear.
"I would encourage him to come out and say that I'll be a candidate," he told Sky News.
"I'm prepared to support either Tony or Joe, but I would feel more comfortable if
someone came out and said I'm going to take us to victory at the next election."
Despite his increasing isolation, Mr Turnbull is remaining defiant.
He likened the actions of his opponents to "political terrorism".
"They have basically tried to blow up the party," he told thepunch.com.au.
"They are not representative of the party, and they are out of step with the public."
Even those who've supported Mr Turnbull's position on the ETS are beginning to
describe his position as untenable.
"Malcolm has been sufficiently damaged," a shadow cabinet member told AAP.
However, Liberal powerbroker Nick Minchin still believes there is an out for Mr
Turnbull if he agrees to defer the legislation until after the Copenhagen climate
change meeting.
"If Mr Turnbull agrees with our request that a compromise position be adopted ...
then this matter is resolved instantaneously and there will be no leadership
consequences," he told reporters.
Simon Birmingham, another strong Turnbull supporter who has been behind the ETS
deal, indicated on Friday that even he was wavering on the legislation.
"I still strongly support action on climate change ... but as for this bill it is
proving to be extremely divisive, not just in the Liberal Party but in the wider
Australian community," he told AAP.
"That's something we have to be mindful of."
The Senate failed to meet a Friday afternoon deadline to pass the legislation and
will now sit again on Monday.
The timing of the party room meeting - and whether it heralds a change of Liberal
leadership - will be crucial to Labor's chances of getting the ETS bill through the
Senate.