Last ditch appeal: the Prime Minister is calling for bipartisanship (Alan Porritt: AAP)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his senior ministers are appealing to the Opposition to put its divisions aside and vote for an amended emissions trading scheme.
The Government's final deal will be presented to the Opposition today and there is an increasing expectation that it will get through Parliament this week.
The Federal Government says that if its scheme were passed it would be a momentous week for Australia.
But some Opposition senators are continuing to say that they will not support the emissions trading scheme in any form.
Outside Parliament yesterday, about 100 climate change protesters staged a mostly silent sit-in at the entrance of Parliament House.
They were urging the Prime Minister to push for a legally binding agreement at next month's global climate talks in Copenhagen.
Another appeal
Inside the Parliament the Prime Minister was making an appeal for bipartisanship.
"There are times in our national politics when all Australians require us to reach beyond the normal partisan divide and to frame an agreement in the national interest. Mr Speaker I believe we have reached such a time in Australia," he said.
A series of his senior ministers joined the cause, urging those in the Opposition who support an emissions trading scheme to make sure that the deal thrashed out over the past six weeks gets through Parliament.
"What I hope is there are enough in the party room that acknowledge the national interest that get behind this important long-term reform for our children and for the future prosperity of our national economy," Treasurer Wayne Swan said.
Assistant Climate Change Minister Greg Combet outlined the stakes for all parliamentarians.
"Mr Speaker this I think is [in] any view a momentous week potentially for those in Australia who support taking action on climate change," he said.
And Mr Rudd summed up the Government's plea.
"I appeal to all those on Opposition benches who are people of good will, who wish to see the passage of climate change legislation to look beyond our normal partisan divide and to join with the government and see the passage of this carbon pollution reduction scheme for the future," he said.
Finishing touches
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong is tonight putting the finishing touches on the deal which will be presented to shadow cabinet, and then the joint Opposition party room tomorrow morning.
Some backbenchers say they are not being given enough time, but the Opposition's emissions trading negotiator Ian Macfarlane rejects that he is trying to ram the deal through.
"This whole process is being done so the minister and I reached an agreement and the first people to hear of that agreement are our members through Malcolm Turnbull and myself," Mr Macfarlane said.
But the timing also leaves only two days of debate for the amended scheme.
The Government will move for extra sitting hours today and the possibility of sitting through Thursday night or on Friday.
It is understood that would be included in the deal with the Opposition, but publicly the Chief Opposition Whip in the Senate, Steven Parry, is still railing against the idea of extended sittings.
"This is why the Government is leaving it until the death knock to let this come it. It's the absolute death knock for this to arrive in this chamber and for us to fully debate," he said.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding is still hoping the vote can be delayed until after the global talks in Copenhagen next month.
His motion is unlikely to get enough support unless the Opposition decides to reject the deal.
One Liberal Senator has told PM it remains a real option if the Government's deal is not good enough.
'Global taxation'
As the final negotiations have been concluded behind closed doors, senators have continued to speak to the unamended bill.
Nationals Senator John Williams is also trying to delay the vote and he has confirmed nothing will make the junior Coalition party vote for the scheme.
"We think that this is just a way for the Government to collect money. This is not about global climate change, it's about global taxation and global control and that's why we will never support it," he said.
Victorian Liberal Senator Julian McGauran too has confirmed that his vote cannot be swayed.
"I will not be voting for this bill, emissions trading scheme in any shape or form," he said.
Late yesterday the issue of leadership resurfaced for the Opposition.
Speaking to Sky news, the backbencher and former minister Kevin Andrews denied that a leadership spill would be moved at tomorrow's party room meeting.
"[It] looks at this stage tomorrow's party room meeting is about the ETS legislation, that's what's the main item on the agenda and that's what we all want to discuss," he said.
He says he has not been canvassing colleagues about the leadership but would not rule out that others have approached him.
"The leadership is the gift of the parliamentary Liberal Party. At the moment we have a leader, I'm a loyal servant of the people of Australia hopefully and my party and I'll do whatever job people regard as appropriate for me to do," Mr Andrews said.