IT is now almost certain that the Liberal Party will vote against the emissions trading scheme in the Senate this week, raising the probability of an early double dissolution election.
Immediately after being elected as Liberal Party Leader by a margin of just one vote over incumbent Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott held a secret ballot in the party room on whether or not the party should vote for or against the Government's amended ETS legislation.
The motion proposed that the legislation should be delayed for three months, and if this could not be secured, then the legislation should be defeated.
The motion was carried by 54 votes to 29, guaranteeing the death of the Rudd Government’s ETS.
If the Liberal Party is unsuccessful in the Senate in deferring the legislation until next year - highly unlikely given that the Greens and Labor want the legislation dealt with this week - then it would vote against the ETS legislation.
This would give Labor the trigger it needs to hold a double dissolution election, which would be conducted almost entirely on the issue of climate change.
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