Turnbull: ETS is Liberal policy

Malcolm Turnbull appears to be getting tough on those in his own party who oppose an emissions trading scheme:

Emboldened by a lift in his Newspoll ratings, Mr Turnbull challenged colleagues today, telling a business breakfast in Melbourne: “Those people who say an emissions trading scheme is an anathema must have been asleep during the last term of the Howard government.

“Not only did we establish an emissions trading scheme, which is a market-based way of putting a price on carbon, we commenced legislating for it. It remains our policy.”

Just because it was Howard policy doesn't necessarily make it right. It must always be remembered that Liberal policy on climate change is the vacuous statement that "we give the planet the benefit of the doubt"… hmm.

And in other news, Brendan Nelson will announce his retirement from parliament, sparking a by-election in the seat of Bradfield:

He will quit politics at the end of September, more than 12 months before the next scheduled election, for a defence industry job. He was a Defence Minister in the Howard Government.

Nelson had previously said he would end his 13 years in Parliament, in the super-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield, at the next scheduled election.

However, he now wants to leave earlier and called a press conference for Tuesday afternoon to explain why.

Could turn into a mini-referendum on climate change? More to follow on the Nelson story as it happens.

Read it here and here.