By Tom Arup ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
THE embattled Liberal leader, Malcolm Turnbull, appears to have gathered the support of enough senators to pass the Government's emissions trading scheme this week.
But a core group of rebel Liberal senators have defied their leader and crossed the floor on four motions yesterday relating to the emissions trading scheme.
Supports the delay... Senator Steve Fielding.Credit: Andrew Meares
In the biggest sign of dissent, 12 Liberal senators voted for a motion proposed by the NSW National John Williams to delay a vote on the emissions trading scheme until after Copenhagen.
The motion lost 52 votes to 18, with the backing of at least 10 Liberals - enough to pass the emissions trading scheme in a likely vote today.
Mr Turnbull yesterday survived a spill motion on his leadership, brought on by his decision to back amended emissions trading scheme legislation, and is now expected to get his way in the Senate.
Notably, the Liberal Senate leader, Nick Minchin, and the deputy Senate leader, Eric Abetz - both climate sceptics but powerful members of the Coalition - were absent from the chamber during votes where Liberal senators crossed the floor.
Three shadow parliamentary secretaries - senators Mathias Cormann (Western Australia), Mitch Fifield (Victoria) and Brett Mason (Queensland) - resigned from the Liberal frontbench yesterday, before the vote to defer the legislation to after Copenhagen, so they could vote against their party.
''Our decision is made with regret but also in clear conscience,'' the senators said in a statement.
''In the Senate we will support the amendments negotiated between the Government and the Opposition but we will vote against the ETS legislation if it is put to a vote before Copenhagen.''
Speaking in the chamber, Senator Cormann - who had been the shadow parliamentary secretary for health administration - said he had called Mr Turnbull yesterday morning to tell him he could not vote for the scheme before an international agreement on climate change was reached.
''I won't support his position to vote for Labor's flawed legislation in the Senate before Copenhagen and before an outcome has been reached at least in the US,'' Senator Cormann said.
The shadow parliamentary secretary for Northern Australia, Senator Ian Macdonald (Queensland) also voted to defer the legislation. He is now likely to lose his position under the Liberal Party convention of stripping frontbenchers of their title for crossing the floor.
In December last year Senator Fiona Nash (Nationals, NSW) lost her job as shadow parliamentary secretary for water resources and conservation when she crossed the floor on a motion on managed investment schemes.
Other Liberal senators to cross floor yesterday included David Bushby and Guy Barnett (Tasmania), Judith Adams, Chris Back, Michaelia Cash and Alan Eggleston (WA), and Cory Bernardi and Alan Ferguson (South Australia).
All five National Party senators - including the Opposition spokesman on human services, Nigel Scullion - and Family First's Senator Steve Fielding also voted to delay the legislation until after Copenhagen.
Eight to 12 Liberal senators crossed the floor at various times yesterday, all up defying their leader's wishes.
Other motions splitting the Liberal senators included a Greens motion to send the emissions trading scheme to a parliamentary committee and a Government motion to extend sitting hours in attempt to pass the emissions trading scheme.
Key Liberal senators backing Mr Turnbull were the shadow ministers Helen Coonan, George Brandis and Michael Ronaldson.