It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Malcolm Turnbull, a man who by any estimation genuinely believes climate change is a worrying issue and wants to address it. As leader of the Federal Coalition, however, he is stuck with a mob of sceptics, belligerents and tactical geniuses like Wilson Tuckey, who yesterday found another way to continue the now well-established Liberal tradition of keeping the spotlight on themselves.

Caught between a rock, a hard place and a raving backbench, Turnbull is making the best of a truly shocking situation, despite being up against an opponent like Kevin Rudd who seems to have a gift for knowing exactly how to make life miserable for him.

There are two long-term issues here: starting the transition to a low-carbon economy, and ensuring we have a viable and creative Opposition. On neither score do things look especially promising at the moment.