OPPOSITION spokesman for agriculture, John Cobb, says he won't have a problem with amendments to the Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme if they ensure Australia won't have a harsher scheme than America's, and it is not voted on before Copenhagen.
Turmoil is raging in Opposition ranks over what position the Coalition will take on emissions trading, and how much support Liberal leader, Malcolm Turnbull, can muster for action on climate change.
More and more backbenchers, as well as some frontbenchers, have come out at odds with Mr Turnbull despite his "back me or sack me" calls arguing that he would be unable to lead a party that did not support action on climate change.
Mr Cobb said agriculture would be the most affected industry regardless of whether they are actually incorporated in the scheme or not, and Mr Turnbull was acutely aware of this, he added.
He said many in the joint party understood the global mood for action on climate change, but did not want that action to come at any cost to Australian industries competing on the world stage.
"We should all be arguing for nothing stronger than what the Americans are doing – and why in heaven's name would we want to go out with one without knowing what the rest of the world is doing," Mr Cobb said.
"We can't avoid the fact that the world wants to deal with climate change and obviously Australia should play its part but it is nonsensical to penalise one of Australia's dominant export industries like agriculture, which is the industry responsible for us not sliding into recession. Why make us less competitive?"
Mr Cobb said he was not arguing that the Rudd Government or Opposition ignore climate change.
"But everybody involved in agriculture needs to remember that the big point is not whether we're in or not and I'll add it would be impossible to be in – but we are going to be the most affected industry by a Rudd scheme," Mr Cobb said.
"Australia cannot go down a Rudd scheme because it penalises us.
"If Turnbull can get Rudd to negotiate to a point where we're not going to have a scheme that's any worse than America's or that doesn't come out before Copenhagen, I won't have a real problem, and I don't think anyone does – National, Liberal or otherwise."
Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, said the Government is prepared to have a discussion with Mr Turnbull when he presents amendments supported by his party room.
"It’s time for members of the Liberal Party to stop playing these tricky political games on an issue as important as climate change," Senator Wong said.
The Opposition will return to Canberra a day early for a special joint-party meeting on the legislation and amendments on October 18 before meeting with the Government that week when parliament resumes from its month-long spring break.
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