CLIMATE change is looming as a major challenge for Malcolm Turnbull's leadership after he angered some senior colleagues yesterday by publicly floating a new strategy despite failing to get shadow cabinet support for it.
With Mr Turnbull's leadership severely weakened by the disastrous "utegate" affair, sources said deep Coalition divisions over emissions trading presented a significant difficulty for the Opposition Leader as he pursued a political strategy of trying to defuse the issue while others believed the Coalition should "dig in".
Coalition policy is to vote the Rudd government's emissions trading laws down in the Senate next month, but reconsider that position before a second vote in November, when the final stance of the US is clearer and a second Senate rejection would provide a trigger for a double-dissolution election.
Senior Coalition sources have told The Australian Mr Turnbull asked shadow cabinet to consider the strategic shift of presenting the opposition's amendments when parliament resumes next month, saying business supported the idea and it would deprive the government of the chance to mount an attack on the Coalition as climate change spoilers.
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