THE first of the Abbott government bills to scrap the carbon tax has been defeated in the Senate.
Legislation to dismantle the Climate Change Authority was knocked back in the upper house on Monday by Labor and the Australian Greens.
It is the first bill in a package designed to unwind the Gillard government's clean energy laws, and has been the subject of protracted debate in the Senate.
The bill was amended by Labor senator Louise Pratt, who wanted to include the Senate's concerns about what impact scrapping the authority could have on independent climate science.
But a government effort to pass the amended bill at its second reading stage was defeated 38 votes to 32.
It will be three months before the bill can be reintroduced to the Senate, and a second rejection would be a trigger for a double dissolution.
The move will frustrate the government, which has slammed Labor and the Greens for their "industrial go slow" in the Senate over the repeal bills.
The Greens are already claiming victory, while environment groups are praising senators for keeping the authority temporarily alive.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said the authority would now be able to continue its work until the new Senate takes over in July.
"The Climate Change Authority is such an important body because it takes the politics out of setting climate policies," spokeswoman Victoria McKenzie-McHarg said in a statement.
Greens leader Christine Milne said this meant Australia could continue to receive high quality independent advice on global warming and a rigorous review of the renewable energy target.
"I am delighted that today the Senate has defeated Tony Abbott's push to try and tear apart a science-based recommendation and go with his anti-science obsession," she told reporters.
Senator Milne said the government could bring this legislation back before the Senate in three months.
"It will depend on the makeup of the Senate," she said.
If West Australians at the upcoming Senate election reduce the number of coalition senators, the Senate would then have the numbers to reject government efforts to remove Labor's climate change legislation, she said.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the Senate was snubbing voters with the Climate Change Authority a clear coalition commitment in the election campaign.
"The Senate has snubbed the Australian people by voting against the abolition of the Climate Change Authority," he said in a statement.
"The government has a very clear mandate. The Australian people voted but Labor and the Greens think the election never happened."
Mr Hunt told the lower house Labor was blocking a tax on basic state services with hospitals, schools and police all impacted by the carbon tax.
"If the leader of the opposition wants action not talk, go to your senators, get them off strike and get out of the way."
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