"Don't get me wrong - I remain unconvinced about the need for an ETS given that carbon dioxide is vital for life on earth, the earth hasn't warmed since 1998 and many of the predictions made by climate change alarmists (including Al Gore and Tim Flannery) have been demonstrably false."

He needs to slip a plastic bay over his scone, tie it off and see how long he survives on carbon dioxide. As for that hoary chestnut of the Earth not warming over the past decade, essentially he's correct. What denialists like Senator Bernardi won't acknowledge is the nearly 300 years of intense industrialisation prior to 1998 which HAS contributed to detrimental warming of the climate, well in excess of whatever hasn't escalated the process over the last ten.

Senator Bernardi places great store in the utterances of The Australian as well, as opposed to what his party leader might want him to say. Division, anyone? He also doesn't believe consumers need to be compensated for the ultimate costs of any ETS impact on industry. Why not, Mr Bernardi? You don't say, just that it's a bad idea in your view.

I like the claim of CO² being vital to life on Earth though. Perhaps we should pack up the climate denialists like Senator Bernardi and send them off to Venus. I hear the place abounds in Carbon Dioxide.