theangle.org

Senator Penny Wong. Credit: penrithsustainabilityunit

By Rich Bowden:

The Australian Government has linked a weekend of searing temperatures in NSW, and wild flooding in the south, to changes brought about by global warming and demanded a political agreement on an emissions trading scheme by this week.

NSW firefighters battled plus 40 degree heat while containing a number of dangerous fires in the state while Victorian emergency services cleaned up after an intense storm hit Melbourne in a weekend of destructive weather in the southeast of the continent.

The weather patterns followed an record-breaking heatwave in South Australia last week.

“We’ve seen increased numbers of storms, we’ve seen much less rain, particularly in southeastern Australia we’ve seen hotter and drier temperatures and conditions,” Climate Change Minister Senator Penny Wong said to media yesterday.

“All of these are consistent with the trends that climate scientists are talking to us about and just underlined to us why Australia is so vulnerable to climate change.”

Linking the extreme weather to the need for an Emissions Trading Scheme legislation, the minister has called on the Opposition to accept or reject a deal on amendments to the bill by Thursday. The shortened timetable, designed to give the Government the backing of a scheme in place to take to key climate talks in Copenhagen, has further divided an already split Opposition over the legislation which, though already passed by the Lower House, was rejected in the Senate in August.

“This is a deal for this week,” Senator Wong told ABC Radio.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard also increased the pressure by saying to ABC Radio that the deal on amendments must be agreed to in the next few days. Gillard said the Government wanted the deal in place before Parliament rises for the year at the end of the week, in order that an emissions trading scheme be passed into legislation before the Copenhagen climate talks in December.

“I do want to be clear about this – a deal without a vote this week is not a deal,” she said.

The Opposition has split between those more liberal members, led by the Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, who agree with the Government that an ETS scheme should be implemented to combat carbon emissions with negotiations centred on compensation for business, and the more conservative members of the Coalition such as the Nationals and Liberal power broker Senator Nick Minchin who oppose the passing of any ETS before other countries.

Ian Macfarlane, the Opposition member charged with the negotiations with the Government, has been the target of criticism amongst backbenchers for agreeing to the Government’s timetable which will mean the amendments must be decided on by a divided Liberal/National party room on Tuesday.

Party ‘Cliffhanger’

Prominent Liberal climate rebel Wilson Tuckey has accused Mr Macfarlane of creating a “cliffhanger” situation in tomorrow’s meeting.

“All I know is [Mr Macfarlane] has had a series of meetings over five weeks with Penny Wong and then decides that he creates a cliffhanger in our party room on this matter, considering the time that’s available,” he said to reporters.

Opp. Leader Malcolm Turnbull. Credit: Adam Carr.

The Australian reports that those Coalition members opposing an ETS scheme have not been granted the privilege of a secret ballot to cast their votes after the newspaper had reported rumours that a vote against the amendments would be harmful for the members’ careers.

“We don’t have ballots in our partyroom, with the exception of leaders or spills,” Mr Macfarlane said. “So, it’s not my expectation there’ll be a secret ballot tomorrow.”

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, political columnist Peter Hartcher makes the point that, rather than pitting Government against Opposition as is normally the case, the ETS amendments issue finds both Prime Minister Rudd and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull both desiring the same outcome.

“Rudd and Turnbull will each be diminished if an emissions trading system is rejected by the Senate in this moment of climax; and both will win if it is approved,” said Hartcher.

“Defeat for Rudd would mean his claim to be the transformative leader “for the future” would face a serious challenge. Defeat for Turnbull would mean his slender claim to be any sort of leader at all would be cancelled.”

By Rich Bowden: Interested in writing for theangle.org? Contact us via our online form.