Fed: Nats upset as division over climate continues

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2009
Fed: Nats upset as division over climate continues

By Kate Hannon, National Political Editor

CANBERRA, Aug 18 AAP - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has predicted an increasingly bitter
battle within the coalition over climate change as parliament argues over its renewable
energy target (RET) bill.

Even as Mr Rudd delivered the prediction to a Labor caucus meeting, a lengthy and at
times heated debate was under way in the coalition joint parties' meeting on Tuesday morning.

It is understood Nationals MPs expressed their unhappiness at coalition climate change
spokesman Greg Hunt for flagging they would support the government's RET bill with amendments.

The joint meeting of Liberal Party-Nationals MPs and senators became bogged down in
a long discussion over the tactics used to have the government "decouple" the RET from
the emissions trading scheme (ETS) bills.

It is expected the RET, which sets a requirement that 20 per cent of electricity generation
comes from renewable sources by 2020, will pass the Senate with amendments as early as
Wednesday.

Nationals Senator Ron Boswell showed some of his frustration in the Senate on Tuesday
night when he expressed concern at the RET's cost impact on homes and business.

However, Nationals leader in the Senate, Barnaby Joyce, indicated on Monday to reporters
that the party would back the RET with amendments.

The divisions augur badly for coalition negotiations with the government on its larger
suite of ETS bills which will go back into parliament in November.

The coalition, the independent senators and the Australian Greens combined to defeat
the government's 11 ETS bills last week, setting up a potential double-dissolution election
trigger if the bills fail again in November.

Mr Rudd took a swipe at the discord within the coalition during question time on Tuesday.

"It is always good to see the coalition hard at work at tearing themselves apart," Mr Rudd said.

Assistant Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, played up the concerns of the coalition's
climate change sceptics, saying it was easy to feel good about supporting the RET but
the real test was the ETS.

"You cannot be a sceptic on the one hand and get in touch with your green side on the
other; you have to have a consistent position," Mr Combet said.

"It is time, in the national interest, that the coalition side of politics got their
act together."

Mr Rudd's prediction of rising bitterness in the opposition ranks comes after he warned
an Australian Industry Group dinner on Monday night that Australia would face punitive
tariffs if it failed to pass the ETS by the end of the year.

During the caucus meeting, Mr Rudd congratulated Climate Change Minister Penny Wong
and Assistant Climate Change Minister Greg Combet for their work on the legislation.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull told the joint parties' meeting the coalition had
won "significant concessions on the RET and a part of the policy solution for carbon pollution".

Mr Hunt later said coalition MPs were "generally pleased" with his and energy spokesman
Ian Macfarlane's progress in negotiating amendments with the government.

"People wanted to know that we were pressing our amendments," Mr Hunt said in a statement.

"We remain involved in good faith negotiations and await the government's response."

AAP keh/sb/jl/de

KEYWORD: CLIMATE WRAP

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