13 as time ran out on parliament's current sitting, but government opponents are all aligned against it. WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS Independent swing vote Senator Nick Xenophon won upper house support to delay negotiation on the package of 11 emissions trade bills until Aug. If the government went on to win a double-dissolution, it could push the laws through a special joint sitting of the lower house and the Senate to clear the political deadlock. That would give Rudd the option of a mid-December election, or in early 2010, ahead of the May budget.
To qualify as a trigger, the earliest the Senate could vote on the package a second time would be in late October or early November. If the Senate blocks or rejects the laws a second time, after an interval of three months, Rudd will have a trigger to call a early double-dissolution election in both houses of parliament. POLITICAL MOVES The delay may give the government more time to find ways to win its passage, and also sets the clock ticking on a possible early election that could break the deadlock. The government wants Australia's carbon trading scheme to be the world's broadest, covering 75 percent of industrial emissions and 1,000 of the largest polluters, from transport operators to resource firms and aluminium makers. IS THE BILL DEAD? The delay means the parliament will resume debate on August 13, but there are no signs that either the conservative opposition that says the laws will punish business or the Green opposition that wants much tougher measures are ready to cede ground to allow the scheme to pass.
The widely expected set-back raises the risk that the world's most ambitious cap-and-trade carbon emissions plan could be further hobbled by political ructions and lead Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to call early elections around December. CANBERRA, June 25 (Reuters) - The Australian parliament's move on Thursday to defer a vote on carbon trading until August is unlikely to alter the fact the bill faces defeat when legislators re-convene after the winter break. TOP STORIES - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva met his Chinesecounterpart Wen Jiabao on Wednesday; Abhisit had said he wouldfocus on promoting trade and tourism (THE NATION) - Financial officials expect an overwhelming response fromretirees and young people to the government's saving bond issueafter it said it could boost the offer from 30 billion baht to50 billion baht (BANGKOK POST) - Thailand is set to ratify the U.N. Reuters has notverified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. BANGKOK, June 25 (Reuters) - These are some of the leadingstories in Thai newspapers on Thursday. For Chinese newspapers, see...............[PRESS/CN] For Taiwan newspapers, see............[PRESS/TW] China.
