The Climate Institute has countered the mining and coal industries' claims that the emissions trading scheme will cost jobs commissioning a study showing a boom in jobs as the Coalition wrestles with finalising its position on the scheme. The Liberals want to delay the final senate vote but not even the Nationals senators support that strategy.
TONY EASTLEY: While the Minerals Council has warned that 23,500 mining jobs will be lost over a decade if the Government's emissions trading scheme goes ahead, the Climate Institute says new research shows 26,000 green jobs will be created.
It's a forecast which the Government will be sure to pounce on as it seeks support to get its ETS legislation through Parliament.
The Lower House is due to vote next week, and the Senate next month, but a lot stands in the way.
From Canberra, Alexandra Kirk reports.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Countering the Minerals Council prediction last week of thousands fewer mining jobs over the next decade than there would have been without carbon trading, the Climate Institute commissioned its own analysis.
JOHN CONNOR: This is the good news the big polluters don't want you to hear.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Chief executive John Connor says it's come up trumps - $31 billion worth of clean renewable energy investments and a boom in new green jobs, many in regional Australia.
JOHN CONNOR: We can grow almost 30,000 jobs, everything from hard yakka to high tech, manufacturing and construction and building.
Quite a wide variety of jobs are ready and waiting once our politicians stop arguing and actually pass some policy.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Government's seeking Coalition support to get its scheme through the Senate next month. The Lower House is due to vote next week, but the Opposition's still wrestling with its position.
Malcolm Turnbull's pushing for what one MP describes as a "constructively ambitious" stance. It's understood that means broad Coalition agreement with the Government's greenhouse reduction targets.
Climate change spokesman Greg Hunt.
GREG HUNT: We will be able to, and we will be, naming an emissions reduction target.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Coalition must also decide how it will vote on the Government's laws. Some say it will be finalised tomorrow, others suggest not till next week.
Mr Hunt says the actual Senate vote should be deferred until next year, after the Copenhagen climate conference in December.
GREG HUNT: It's crazy for Australia to finalise its legislation before Copenhagen and the US positions are fully known.
The Obama plan has just announced the US will give complete exemption; 100 per cent exemption to their export industries; completely at odds with what the Australian Government is doing.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But Nationals leader in the Senate Barnaby Joyce is not for delaying. His band of senators is ready to bite the bullet.
BARNABY JOYCE: The answer on this piece of legislation is no. My colleagues say no. Bring the legislation that you've got in front of us in, let's get rid of it, and then they can go back to square one and start again.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: And Greens leader Bob Brown says it's simple - either vote for the legislation, or vote it down, as his party plans to do. But he won't help the Coalition delay the vote.
BOB BROWN: No, we will not vote with the Coalition to delay a vote, because that is a decision to fail to take action on dangerous climate change.
The Opposition found in 13 years with John Howard as Prime Minister that no action kept it united. Its big problem is it will split like a watermelon if it comes to a decision and tries to implement that. So, they're going for no action.
TONY EASTLEY: The Greens leader Bob Brown ending that report from Alexandra Kirk in Canberra.