Australian opposition ETS disarray threatens leader

Updated November 27, 2009 09:59:52

Australia's opposition leader, Malcom Turnbull, is facing increasing resistance within his own ranks with at least seven - and possibly more - of Mr Turnbull's frontbenchers having now resigned their shadow portfolios.

It stems from the ongoing disagreement over a proposed emissions trading scheme and the re-emergence of the so-called 'Ozcar affair' which dominated the last federal Parliamentary Question Time for the year.

Presenter: Samantha Hawley
Speaker: Greg Combet, Assistant Climate Change Minister; Lindsay Tanner, Government Minister; Christopher Pyne, Manager of Opposition Business ; Bronwyn Bishop, Opposition Minister; Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition Leader

(Sound of whistle being blown) SPEAKER: The gallery will come to order.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: It's the last question time for 2009. And there's really only one matter left that needs resolving.

GREG COMBET: Mr Speaker, enough is enough.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: Greg Combet is the Assistant Climate Change minister.

GREG COMBET: It is time that the carbon pollution reduction scheme be passed.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: It's likely that that will happen on Monday after the Senate voted to extend sitting hours. The Parliament was meant to rise at the end of today for nine weeks. But MPs and Senators will now be back tomorrow and on Monday to ensure the Emissions Trading Scheme becomes law. It can't come soon enough for Malcolm Turnbull who's now under attack on another front.

LINDSAY TANNER: The Leader of the Opposition has got a lot of questions to answer with respect to this affair.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The Godwen Grech Ozcar affair is back to haunt Malcolm Turnbull, after a Senate inquiry revealed the Treasury official had had 22 email exchanges and 8 phone calls with the Opposition leader.

Government Minister Lindsay Tanner didn't hold back

LYNDSAY TANNER: When you look at the context and the text of all of these emails, there are very serious questions to be asked as to whether or not the Leader of the Opposition is a fit and proper person qualified to lead the Australian nation.

(Here, here!)

SPEAKER: Order. The manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I would ask the Minister for Finance to withdraw the smear and slur against the Leader of the Opposition at the end of his answer.

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: He didn't have to withdraw and it won't be the last Malcolm Turnbull hears of it. The Government will also keep reminding him of yesterdays leadership tilt by backbencher and former Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews.

SPEAKER: The member for McKellar on a point of order.

BRONWYN BISHOP: Thank you Mr Speaker. I think the Minister wins by a nose.

(Sound of laughter)

SAMANTHA HAWLEY: The Opposition leader still has to get through the emission trading scheme vote. Three frontbenchers have already offered their resignations over the matter and it's been predicted that a least a dozen Coalition Senators will defy his leadership and cross the floor. A mass crossing like that hasn't occurred since 1977.

It's no wonder Mr Turnbull was a little emotional during his Christmas address to the Parliament.

MALCOLM TURNBULL: One of the most remarkable things about the events of 9/11. When the pass... so many, when the passengers on those planes, doomed planes realised their fate, so many of them got onto their mobile phones and called their families and the one thing they all said, just three words; I love you. Facing death, that's what they said. The most important thing they could say was I love you. And it's a reminder that love and family is all we have.