Australian opposition splits over climate bill

The lack of consensus in the opposition Liberal Party stymied the government's goal for a Friday Senate vote on the legislation, and the Senate was adjourned until Monday.

Australia is one of the world's worst carbon dioxide polluters per capita because of its heavy reliance on its abundant coal reserves. As the driest continent after Antarctica, it is also considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made climate change issues a priority of his leadership, and said he wants the legislation passed as an example to the world before he attends next month's U.N. summit in Copenhagen.

Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has pledged his Liberal Party's support for the government's legislation, but the majority of his party opposes it. They want more time to amend it and with Turnbull refusing to back down, 10 politicians resigned their party positions on Thursday night and at least two said they would challenge Turnbull's party leadership if he fails to back down on the legislation.

Liberal lawmaker Tony Abbott said Friday if Turnbull did not change his mind on the legislation then he would call a leadership challenge on Monday.

Turnbull, who survived a leadership challenge over the same issue on Wednesday, said he would not quit nor change his mind.

"I will not take a backward step — there's too much at stake," he told the Seven Network. "The people that are opposing me within the party do not believe in climate change at all. They are turning back the clock and Australians will punish us very, very severely at the next election if these guys have their way and we go to the election as the 'do nothing on climate change party.'"

Turnbull said he expected Liberal senators to support the carbon pollution bill. Only seven of the 32 Liberal Party senators are needed to pass the legislation but the bill never even made it to a vote Friday thanks to long-winded speeches by those who oppose it.

"What we have seen is deliberate filibustering, a refusal to progress the bill, a refusal to get on with this legislation," government Senate leader Chris Evans told the Senate as the deadline loomed.

The Senate has so far only considered a handful of the 200 proposed amendments and the debate would continue Monday, Evans said.

He said the Liberal Party turmoil had interfered with the legislation and called on the opposition to honor its good-faith agreement to pass the amended legislation.

After an earlier version of the bill failed to pass the Senate in August, the government and opposition negotiated a compromise deal that increases financial assistance to major polluters including electricity generators and ensures that farmers are not taxed for the methane produced by livestock.

The government plan would institute a tax on industries' carbon emissions starting in 2011 and limit Australia's overall pollution. The government wants to slash Australia's emissions by up to 25 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 if the United Nations can agree on tough global targets at a Copenhagen summit in December.

If the Senate rejects legislation twice in three months, Australia's constitution allows the prime minister to call a snap election before his three-year term has expired. Rudd has said he does not want an early election but analysts suggest he could call one early next year to capitalize on his popularity if the bill fails.

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