Parties battle over emissions scheme

(AAP) - The federal government ramped up its attack on the coalition as a bunch of climate change sceptics, as clear political divisions emerged over a future emissions trading scheme.

The opposition is questioning whether petrol should be included in the scheme,
saying the coming carbon price could add up to 50 cents per litre to fuel costs.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd dubbed the opposition "the climate change sceptics brigade
mark II", accusing them of flip-flopping on emissions trading and recalling the
previous government's refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
"What we have here quite plainly with this new fear campaign on emissions trading is
this: we have the return of the Kyoto sceptics in their new fear campaign on climate
change and on emissions trading," Mr Rudd told parliament.

Successive ministers used question time to chastise opposition treasury spokesman
Malcolm Turnbull, environment minister in the former Howard government, for changing
his mind about including petrol in the scheme.

Treasurer Wayne Swan accused the opposition of being too cowardly to tackle the
great economic challenge of the time.

"This demonstrates that those opposite are completely spineless when it comes to
facing up to the great challenges of the future," he told parliament.
"It is the case that the economic costs of inaction are greater than the costs of
action. Left unaddressed, climate change will undermine economic growth and destroy
our way of life."
But Mr Turnbull insisted the economic landscape had changed since the former
coalition government proposed including transport in emissions trading.

"Well, that was the Howard government's policy," he told Sky News.
"But there have been two significant changes - firstly, petrol prices have gone
through the roof.

"Secondly, a lot of people, experts like the International Energy Agency, are
arguing that carbon prices should be higher than, considerably higher than, what
was anticipated last year."

The coalition has suggested a carbon trading scheme would equate to a new tax of up
to 51 cents a litre on petrol.

Mr Turnbull said the coalition was considering policies to ensure any scheme
wouldn't "crash the economy".
"Look, the emissions trading scheme was part of our policy last year and it remains
our policy today," he said.

"The implementation of it is something that has to be finetuned to ensure that you
get the right result for the environment but you don't crash the economy."
The opposition also took kudos from new data, released Tuesday, which showed
Australia was on target to achieve Kyoto commitments on greenhouse gas emissions -
even though the Howard government refused to ratify the pact.
"It shows the difference between real action under the coalition and the rhetoric we
are seeing from Mr Rudd," opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt said in a
statement.

The data showed Australia produced 585 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2007,
six per cent more than in 1990.
Under the Kyoto deal, Australia can increase its emissions by eight per cent of 1990
levels by 2012.

But if land clearing is taken out of the equation, emissions have risen 31 per cent
since 1990.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said: "We have a lot of work to do in the coming
years to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions."