Thank you, said The Nationals leader in the Senate, for uniting the Coalition.

While it was a sarcastic quip that got a few laughs at the end of a bitterly divisive week, Senator Joyce was getting at something deeper – the fact that the two conservative parties were now strangely at one in opposing the emissions trading scheme, which The Nationals had done from day one.

The ETS might have torn apart Malcolm Turnbull's career as leader of the Liberal Party, but the turmoil has strengthened the resolve and vindicated the long-held position of The Nationals that the proposed carbon pollution reductions scheme (CPRS) will only be "a massive new tax that will do nothing to reduce the temperature of the globe".

Party Leader Warren Truss admits The Nationals were even starting to do quite well out of all the Liberal turmoil stemming from its initial position to support the legislation.

"We believe the scheme was bad, we came to that conclusion early in the piece, we've been strong and united in that regard and obviously the public of Australia have responded," Mr Truss said.

"What the Liberal Party experienced was a grass roots revolt. People ringing up their offices saying they wanted the scheme opposed.

"We were getting the same calls, the same letters.

"We were getting people calling us to see how they could form Nationals branches; how they could back candidates.

"There was a very strong response from the public about any suggestion we might be supporting this scheme.

"It's been an experience to be strong, to be forthright, and the public respect that."

Mr Truss said his party still wanted something to be done about global warming, but in a completely different way to that proposed.

"We came to the last election with a policy to reduce carbon emissions; we supported the renewable energy targets. We supported the targets Kevin Rudd will be taking to Copenhagen," Mr Truss said.

"Our difference is the way in which you achieve that.

"We believe you need to do practical things that actually reduce CO2 emissions but a new tax doesn't do that.

"Selling pieces of paper doesn't reduce the climate; doesn't reduce the CO2 emissions. You need to undertake actually practical measures.

"If you sell a piece of paper, you haven't done anything to reduce C02 emissions."

Mr Abbott also quickly moved to tighten ties with The Nationals, telling his first press conference as leader that he "always thought that a Liberal is a city National, and a National is a country Liberal".