But Mr Turnbull continued to insist that the Liberal-National Coalition would not be rushed by the Federal Government into voting on emissions trading legislation this year, despite the risk that blocking the legislation could prompt the Government to call an early election.

Mr Turnbull told ABC TV that countries around the world were moving solidly to introduce emissions trading and he had no doubt Australia would end up with such a scheme.

By the end of this year, he said, the UN climate change negotiations were likely to agree on new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and America was likely to have an emissions trading system.

"Now that is a huge change," Mr Turnbull said. "We could easily find ourselves, very likely to find ourselves, early next year in a political environment where the biggest developed economy has set up an emissions trading scheme [and] the major economies have agreed on an approach to reduce emissions.

"Naturally Australia and all sides of politics will want Australia to play its part, not for Australia to stand outside."

Asked if he could convince the junior Coalition party, the Nationals, to support emissions trading, Mr Turnbull said: "I have no doubt that if the US establishes an emissions trading scheme then Australians will expect us to follow suit as part of an effective global agreement."

Senior Nationals politicians have in recent weeks flatly ruled out ever supporting any form of emissions trading.

The Opposition has been divided between climate change sceptics, who do not want any form of emissions trading, and Mr Turnbull and his supporters, who are willing to accept the scheme if the Government makes significant changes to provide more assistance to industry.

The Coalition papered over this split last month by agreeing to vote in Parliament for consideration of emissions trading to be deferred until the new year.

The Government's emissions trading legislation will be debated in the House of Representatives this week. It is then expected to go to the Senate later this month where the Government needs the support of either the Opposition or the Greens and other minor party senators.

The Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, said the Opposition was planning to "take its bat and ball and go home" which meant the Government would have to work with the Greens and other Senate players.