The Australian government introduced another major climate change bill to parliament on Wednesday ahead of a Senate showdown on emissions trading.

The draft laws underpin the mandatory renewable energy target scheme and include a legislated target of 45,000 gigawatt-hours by 2020.

The government is asserting that its legislation on renewable energy targets is tied to a package of 11 bills that aim to set up an emissions trading scheme by July 2011.

Labor has no support for its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in the upper house where it lacks the numbers to pass legislation on its own, but it has more backing from non-government senators for its renewable energy targets.

The Senate is expected to debate all the climate change bills next week.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2009)