Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Gillard defends climate change policy shift

Updated at 9:16 am on 2 September 2010

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says her party's deal with the Greens won't necessarily spell the end of Labor's policy for a citizens' assembly on climate change.

Labor's idea to have a 150-person panel to help advise the government on climate change policy was widely criticised during the election campaign.

Wednesday's deal between Labor and the Greens instead sets up a cross-party committee on the issue to work towards producing a price on carbon.

Ms Gillard says that's another way to build support for measures to combat climate change.

The four independents MPs are still deciding which party to back to form a minority government, but Greens leader Bob Brown says his party is now formally backing Labor.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott says the Labor-Green alliance is a coalition but Senator Brown says it would be wrong to call it that.

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