ENJOY THANKSGIVING! Be thankful for the miracle of life, for our simple existence on beautiful earth, in our wondrous universe.
By chief political correspondent Lyndal Curtis, staff
Wed Nov 25, 2009 Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull
'I am the leader': But some say Malcolm Turnbull hijacked the outcome of last night's meeting (AAP : Alan Porritt)
A defiant Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed calls for a Liberal leadership spill tomorrow, after a turbulent day in the party room yesterday left his leadership hanging by a thread.
Mr Turnbull refused to call a special party room meeting to hear the calls for a spill from back- benchers Dennis Jensen and Wilson Tuckey, saying he was confident of staying on as leader, as his most prominent would-be challenger, Tony Abbott, said he would not be throwing his hat into the ring.
Meetings that stretched over more than 12 hours yesterday ended with Mr Turnbull asserting over and over again that his party had agreed to accept a government deal on the emissions trading scheme.
"There were many opportunities yesterday, and indeed several invitations for those people who are complaining bitterly about this to move a spill," Mr Turnbull told AM.
"If they wanted to do that they could have done it. They chose not to and everyone was there.
"At this stage all we have is a letter signed by two backbenchers and no indication that there is any candidate or or any credible level of support. You don't just call meetings when people write you letters like that."
Mr Tuckey hit back this morning, accusing Mr Turnbull of running away from a leadership spill.
"I know now that Malcolm Turnbull has dodged the spill he said we should call," he told ABC 2.
"The fact of life is a call has been made ... and Malcolm Turnbulll, as is his wont on such matters, has said 'Well, I'm not going'."
"That can only result in further disruption to the party."
Mr Turnbull said a "very substantial majority" of Liberals were in favour of his decision to accept the Government deal but refused to elaborate on the exact numbers for and against.
"My decision is based on listening to every speaker and knowing the views of everybody in the room," he said.
Mr Turnbull was also adamant he would have the backing of enough Liberal senators to pass the scheme in the upper house this week.
"There will be enough numbers to support the decision of the party room and the decision I've articulated as leader," he said.
"We cannot possibly go to the next election as the 'no action on climate change' party."
But he admitted that a dramatic intervention from former climate change spokesman Andrew Robb, who has been off with depression but attended yesterday's party room meeting to speak against the deal, had come as a "complete surprise".
Mr Robb's comments had not been flagged in advance with Mr Turnbull or chief Opposition climate change negotiator Ian Macfarlane.
Mr Macfarlane has said he was "surprised" but would not comment on whether Mr Robb's actions were "treacherous".
Some of what Andrew said yesterday in the party room was not correct, and I'm not going to go into a debate with Andrew," he said.
The shadow cabinet will meet again this morning to discuss tactics in the upcoming Senate debate.
Marathon meeting
More than 70 MPs spoke in the party room yesterday, and all day there were leaks that the numbers were close.
Mr Turnbull declared he had the support he needed twice: the first time senators were voting in the chamber and thus were missing from the meeting where he made the statement.
Some say their anger at coming back to an empty room not knowing what had happened forced the meeting to be reopened.
Those who opposed backing the government's deal dispute that Mr Turnbull had a clear majority and say even on a best case scenario it was in Mr Turnbull's favour by just one vote.
Former frontbencher Kevin Andrews was one prepared to publicly dispute his leader's count.
"That was clearly in my view, a decision of the majority of the party room that they didn't want to proceed at this stage," he said.
The accounts of what happened in the last half hour of the meeting are at polar opposites - as the party appears to be.
Some sources say Senator Nick Minchin proposed a compromise that would see the deal sent to a committee for consideration, reporting back in February after the Copenhagen climate change summit.
That suggestion is one Mr Turnbull has rejected; his supporters say the issue of an emissions scheme has to be decided.
Leadership on the line
His supporters believe the numbers were in Mr Turnbull's favour - narrowly - and say Mr Turnbull put his leadership on the line on three occasions during the meeting.
Phillip Ruddock and Christopher Pyne said a spill of his leadership could have been moved then, and no one took the option.
But others emerged from the meetings saying Mr Turnbull's leadership was untenable.
Those opposed to the deal have described their leader's behaviour as extraordinary, audacious and bizarre. They are furious, accusing him of manipulating the order of speakers and the numbers.
At a later news conference, Mr Turnbull dared his detractors to confront him
"I'm the leader, right, and if people are unhappy with the leader they can take whatever steps that they deem appropriate," he said.
"But I am the leader and I have made the call."
And Mr Turnbull's supporters were out in force.
"Malcolm has counted the numbers correctly; he had a majority in the party room and he called it," Ian Macfarlane said.
"He is someone who has stood up for what he believes in, he's argued his case, he's carried the day," Scott Morrison added.
But one source says some of Mr Turnbull's supporters have lost faith in him.
Queensland MP Michael Johnson turned up at his leader's press conference in a gaggle of supporters but later put out a statement publicly declaring he had opposed the deal.
Possible meeting
Wilson Tuckey has given notice he wants to move a spill of Mr Turnbull's leadership position on Thursday but there is confusion over who would call the meeting - whether it would be Mr Turnbull himself or the party whips.
Some say it is Mr Turnbull's decision and yesterday's meeting was the last one for the year.
George Brandis says a repeat of yesterday is the last thing the party wants.
"There isn't a scheduled meeting on Thursday and frankly I think yet another meeting is the last thing that most of my colleagues want," he said.
A senior Coalition figure told AM before the meetings began that Mr Turnbull was leader because there were no other viable candidates.
But those who had previously been thought not viable are now being considered: Tony Abbott, Julie Bishop and Joe Hockey are among those being named.
Yesterday Mr Abbott argued against accepting the Government's deal but this morning he backed Mr Turnbull's decision to declare Coalition support for the offer and said he would not be standing in any possible leadership challenge.
Mr Abbott told ABC2 News Breakfast that he expects Mr Turnbull to stay leader into the new year.
"That's my hope," he said.
"I thought yesterday's debate was about policy, not leadership.
"I think Malcolm is a good leader. I think he's a very substantial figure in our public life and I'd like him to stay as leader."
Final vote
This morning's shadow cabinet meeting this morning will consider the Senate tactics for the emissions trading debate and vote.
Mr Turnbull's supporters say he has the seven senators he needs to get the legislation through.
That is only the bare minimum, although his supporters think there will be more. But others are raising doubts that the seven are there.
Mr Turnbull's decision to follow what he believes to be right may come at a very high cost.
Even if his leadership survives, as his supporters are adamant it will, his party is deeply divided and a number are openly contemptuous of his leadership.
Aside, this kerfuffle is reminiscent o the battle in the Senate to introduce universal healthcare. Yet, it was successful, in the end. No one would dare to try to abolish it now.
Australian Senate Rejects Climate Bill; Rudd Left Empty Handed By Jesse Riseborough and Ben Sharples
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Australia’s Senate rejected the government’s climate-change bill, frustrating Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s ambition of taking landmark legislation to global warming talks with world leaders in Copenhagen.
The government will send the legislation to the Senate for a third time when parliament resumes in February, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters in Canberra today. Senators voted 41 to 33 against the bill, which included plans for a carbon trading system similar to one used in Europe.
“There is no danger of this country rushing ahead, but as a result of the actions of the opposition, there is a risk this country is left behind,” Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said during today’s Senate debate.
The failure followed a revolt in the opposition Liberal Party that saw a new leader withdraw support for the Rudd plan. The deadlock over setting a cost for the carbon emissions blamed for heating the Earth’s atmosphere complicates investment decisions for companies such as Santos Ltd,Woodside Petroleum Ltd. and AGL Energy Ltd.
“AGL is disappointed with the further delay in the implementation of a national ETS,” Australia’s biggest electricity retailer said today. “We believe that without a firm decision on climate change, business will continue to face investment uncertainty.”
Australia’s liquefied natural gas industry has more than A$200 billion ($186 billion) of investment projects on the board. Woodside, meanwhile, is building a A$12 billion liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia.
“The prospect of a carbon price in Australia is unlikely to diminish if the legislation is deferred or defeated, but such action could result in higher costs as other policy choices fill the void,” Don Voelte, chief executive of Woodside, said in a letter to Rudd on Nov. 30.
Get Design Right
The bill’s rejection would provide the opportunity to get the design right, Mitchell Hooke, chief executive officer of the Minerals Council of Australia, said in a statement today. The legislation would have cost the economy at least A$120 billion to 2020 and resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs, without “materially” reducing greenhouse gas levels, he said.
Rudd, 52, had wanted the climate bill approved before he travels to Copenhagen this month to attend a meeting of more than 190 countries seeking terms for a new treaty to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
Today’s rejection may give Rudd an election trigger through a double dissolution, a procedure under the Australian constitution to resolve deadlocks between the Senate and the House of Representatives. The house has already approved the bill.
Political Foes
Should Rudd eventually call an election over the issue, he would face off against new Liberal leader Tony Abbott, who says the prime minister’s plan amounts to a A$120 billion ($112 billion) tax without doing much to mitigate climate change.
Australia, the world’s biggest coal exporter, was proposing to reduce greenhouse gases by 5 percent to 15 percent of 2000 levels in the next decade. While the U.S. is the biggest greenhouse-gas producer among developed nations, Australia has overtaken it as the biggest per-person emitter of carbon dioxide, British risk analysis firm Maplecroft said Sept. 9.
‘Avoid Small Schemes’
“We have to avoid a proliferation of small schemes that increase the regulatory burden on Australia’s companies, do not share the burden of shifting to a lower carbon economy equally across the economy, and offer no guaranteed environmental outcome,” said Carl McCamish, head of policy and sustainability at Origin Energy Ltd., Australia’s second-largest electricity and gas retailer.
The fate of Rudd’s bill was entwined with that of former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, 55, who was ousted yesterday by his party partly for backing the legislation. Abbott has said he’s prepared to fight an election over climate change.
Two Liberal senators, Judith Troeth and Sue Boyce, crossed the floor to support the bill in the 76-seat upper house, honoring a deal struck by the coalition with Labor last week which offered A$7 billion in assistance to coal and electricity producers in return for opposition support.
The two Liberal votes ultimately proved insufficient to ensure passage of the bill, which didn’t have the support of the Australian Greens and independent senators. The Greens said the bill didn’t go far enough to combat global warming.
“The defeat of the CPRS may, in fact, provide Australia with greater flexibility in its negotiating position, as it is now no longer wedded to having to support a scheme that would only have been recently adopted by the Australian parliament,” Australian National University Professor Donald Rothwell said today in a statement.
6 months ago, Kevin Rudd danced and spun, he made 'practical', 'realistic' concessions, fyi some here ..
Carbon bill burns as Rudd fiddles PHILLIP COOREY .. May 5, 2009
In the biggest policy reversal of his prime ministership, aimed at wooing big business and the Liberal Party, Kevin Rudd announced the scheme would be delayed by one year to July 1, 2011, beyond the next election.
Compensation for the nation's heaviest polluters would be more generous and the price of a tonne of carbon for the first year would be fixed at a low $10, reducing by half the original projected impact on energy bills.
As a sop to environmentalists, there was a heavily conditional commitment to increase from 15 per cent to 25 per cent the maximum amount by which greenhouse gases would be reduced by 2020.
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