Greens and Coalition agree on ETS legislation delay

But for completely opposite reasons! The Greens want the legislation delayed so that when the negotiations in Copenhagen result in a tough, binding, global agreement (including the US, China and India) to cut emissions by 50% by 2020, Australia can sign up to it.

And now back to the real world, the Coalition want to delay it so that when Copenhagen goes off like a damp squib, as climate gab-fests tend to do (see here and here), they can argue for reduced emissions cuts.

Opposition emissions trading spokesman Andrew Robb said yesterday: "It would be irresponsible to rush this deeply flawed scheme through parliament by the end of June. We can have the debate after the Copenhagen meeting at the end of the year, with all the information on the table, without affecting Mr Rudd's new start date."

Malcolm Turnbull has said his climate change plan, which could be discussed by shadow cabinet on Monday, will advocate targets at least as ambitious as those proposed by the Government. [WTF? - Ed]

The Government had assumed it could force the Coalition to vote on the legislation in June, but now the Greens, Family First senator Steve Fielding and independent senator Nick Xenophon are saying they would consider a delay.

What game is Turnbull playing here? Trying to out-green Rudd? Forget it.

Read it here.