Asia-Pacific

Turnbull: Oz climate vote 'disppointing'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-02 14:11

CANBERRA: Australia's former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull says on Wednesday the defeat of the government's emissions trading scheme (ETS) is disappointing.

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"This is a very disappointing result, contrary to the national interest and the interest of the Liberal Party," Turnbull wrote in his blog on Wednesday. "Australia needs to get on with the business of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions."

Turnbull returned to his familiar arguments about the Liberals having previously supported an ETS.

"We recognized that in government and started legislating for an ETS. As (Former Prime Minister) Howard has observed, the Rudd government's ETS is very similar to the one we, as Liberals, took to the last election."

Turnbull was deposed as Liberal leader on Tuesday and replaced by the right-wing Tony Abbott.
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