Copenhagen talks likely to fail: Abbott

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has once again attacked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s position on climate change, claiming that climate change talks in Copenhagen are likely to be a disappointment and a personal failure for Rudd.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will attend the talks in the Danish capital this week with a large Australian delegation.

Abbott said Rudd should focus on Australia instead.

“I think it’s in a sense admirable that Kevin Rudd is prepared to risk jet lag for our country,” he told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

“But the people who he’s really got to persuade about his whopping great big emissions tax are here in Australia, not in Copenhagen.”

He added that the conference is going to end in disappointment for Rudd.

Rudd addressed his critics on 2UE, claiming that speculation over the summit’s outcome was to be expected.

“Between now and the end of next week you’ll hear about a thousand predictions of total failure, you’ll hear a thousand predictions of stunning success,” he said.

“The key thing is to just get in there and do the hard yards,” he added.