SCENARIOS: Where to now for Australia carbon trade, election
CANBERRA Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:41pm EDT    If the laws are
rejected a second time after three months, Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd could call a snap election on climate change, rather than
wait for the next regular election, due in late 2010.  Here are
some of the options for the government.   The government can
send the bills back to the Senate any time. But if it waits
three months to push a second vote, Rudd will have the trigger
for an early double-dissolution election of all 76 Senators and
150 members of the lower House. Opinion polls suggest Rudd would
easily win an election fought on climate change, with an
enlarged majority.  To qualify as an election trigger, the
legislation must be exactly the same as the package defeated on
Thursday. That means Rudd must decide whether to submit the same
package, or allow changes and negotiate amendments with the
opposition. Rudd may be forced to decide whether an election
trigger is more important to him th