Following five weeks of intense negotiations between the Rudd government and the Opposition, the Australian Senate voted once more, by 41 to 33, against bills that would have established the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). The Greens, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, and Family First Senator Steve Fielding joined the Opposition (Liberals + Nationals) in voting [...]

After the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’s defeat in Senate last August, the Australian Opposition, the Coalition (Liberals + Nationals), had until last Sunday to propose amendments before the reintroduction of the bill in November (for previous developments, see here). After a Party meeting lasting more than four hours yesterday, Mr. Turnbull, the Opposition leader, [...]

The Australian domestic climate surrounding the emission trading scheme issue contrasts with the confidence and dynamism demonstrated by Labour Prime minister Kevin Rudd in multilateral talks. Mr Rudd was in New York late September to advance international negotiations on strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the December Copenhagen summit. He met Bill Clinton [...]