What had looked for Malcolm Turnbull like a tough but doable task of getting his partyroom on side for a CPRS deal with the Government has become a nightmare with former Turnbull supporter Andrew Robb declaring he’s opposed to the deal.
Robb was Turnbull’s original choice to lead the CPRS process, but had to bow out when he was felled by an illness earlier in the year. He was replaced by Ian Macfarlane, who has negotiated the package released today with Penny Wong.
Robb’s opposition to the deal will lend respectability to those opposing a deal, who are primarily climate denialists. While initially a climate sceptic, Robb immersed himself in the detail of emissions trading and visited the US for discussions with carbon markets analysts there. After Turnbull, Macfarlane and Greg Hunt, Robb is the Liberal figure who understands the detail of the CPRS and emissions trading best.
He is also the most substantial senior Liberal after Turnbull himself, respected in Parliament and in the Press Gallery.
Robb will be fully aware of what his opposition will do to both the chances of a deal and to Turnbull’s leadership. It is, quite literally, a gamechanger, and leaves Turnbull in serious trouble. This could be the end of Turnbull’s leadership.
The partyroom meeting resumes at 4.00pm after a break for Question Time.
11 Comments
Andrews as leader with Robb as deputy?
That is a big tease, Bernard. What I want to know is why? What did Robb learn in the US? Is he doing this now because he is even more of a denialist/sceptic, or because he prefers a carbon tax, or what? And presumably after his illness (depression; was it a cover for something else or what? did he have a bust-up with Malcolm?) he has no leadership ambitions. And I cannot accept that he would be supporting the likes of Kevin Andrews. So what the heck is he trying to do, other than destroy his own party?
Hope you can answer some of these mysteries in tomorrow’s CDM.
“Andrews as leader with Robb as deputy?”
Bwahahaha!
Good one!
It is so silly you may as call it the rum rebellion, I’m sure they have all been drinking something.
Could this assertion that the Liberal negotiators could have done better be a ruse to try to get Liberal supporting climate ‘believers’ (if they exist) to think that the Liberals haven’t completely sold out to big-business polluters and that their version of the CPRS is still worth something environmentally?
It’s looking fugly for Malcolm Turnbull.
But it’s looking even fuglier for the Coalition.
Leadership Change legislation.
It’s just like they have a death wish.
Maybe the antidepressants are too strong…
The Opposition is longer a Coalition of 2 parties. It is a swarm of egos without direction, policies, or leadership. Robb clearly decided to destroy Turnbull, but who is left to herd the cats? Bishop? Abbott? Hockey? Robb himself? Andrews? None could lead a united party, let alone unite the Liberal rabble. Not to mention work with the dysfunctional National Party with 2 heads and no brain.
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
COMMENT ON B. Keane’s transmission today ‘Crikey – Liberal Leadership Spill At 1PM Today’
As a medical practitioner I can say (by medical standards) how ugly it is to bring in a liberal entity with integrity and power printed on his previous forehead to deliver the necessary power statement of support for the denialists lobby when that liberal is recovering from a ‘nervous breakdown’ and its the first time in recovery that he’s popped up.
This could be a new definition of ‘gruesome’ but its definitely a new definition of ‘desperate’ and ‘audacity’.