The Federal Government has backed down and agreed to debate a key climate change Bill, a move the Opposition described as a ''victory for common sense''.
The renewable energy legislation which commits Australia to ensure that 20 per cent of its energy comes from sources such as solar and wind by 2020 will go before Parliament this week to give the renewables sector ''certainty''.
The Opposition and minor parties support the interim target legislation, but the Senate had blocked it because it was linked to the Government's contentious Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
The Senate will debate the Bill this week and both houses of Parliament are expected to pass it this week.
The Opposition and Greens accused the Government of playing politics by linking the two Bills, a point proved by the Government's back down, they say.
But Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard denied the allegation, saying that in a world of ''Liberal obstruction'' the two schemes were separated to give the renewable sector certainty.
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said separating the two Bills was a ''Plan B'' that had been forced on the Government by the Liberal Party's divisions over climate change policy.
She said the interim legislation would give certainty to electricity-intensive, trade-exposed industries by ensuring the renewable energy targets were in place by January 1 next year.
But she said fewer industries would benefit under the interim legislation than if the Senate had passed the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
''What we have put forward is interim arrangements to assist industry until the Liberal Party pass the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. We want to deliver both these pieces of legislation because Australia needs both,'' she said.
''We need the renewable energy target to drive investment in renewable energy but we know even with this target, Australia's carbon pollution will continue to rise, will continue to rise to up to 2020, so we do need both.''
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said it was clear that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had a ''political agenda'' an election before the May budget which was why he planned to present the emissions trading legislation again in three months' time.
But he said the Coalition would sit down this week to negotiate in good faith with Senator Wong on the renewable energy target legislation, to ensure it became law.
Mr Turnbull urged the Government to go further and negotiate amendments to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which, if the Senate rejected a second time, would give the Government a double-dissolution trigger.
''What she [Senator Wong] should now do, now that she's in such an accommodating state of mind, is sit down and negotiate with us about the emissions trading scheme,'' Mr Turnbull said. ''The critical thing is that, until today, the Government's position was that they weren't talking to the Opposition; in fact the only advice they had for us was 'get out of the way'.''
He said extra compensation for the aluminum industry a high user of electricity that will be significantly affected by renewable energy targets would be one of the areas examined in negotiations.
Senator Wong said the interim legislation would provide extra help to the aluminum, silicon and newspaper-manufacturing industries.
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