Helen Clark. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Helen Clark. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Prime Minister Helen Clark has rejected a National Party call for a delay to the introduction of her Government's proposed climate change legislation.

Helen Clark said last night such a move would only add to taxpayers' costs.

National Party leader John Key said New Zealand should not introduce its emissions trading scheme until Australia had developed one too.

Helen Clark said the Government was never relying on National's support for the scheme and would continue with cross-party talks to try to get it passed.

"The bill remains live," she said.

Mr Key indicated yesterday that National would not support the emissions trading bill when it came out of the select committee stages, due to happen on June 10.

National had not given up on the scheme, but it wanted to slow it down even if that meant taking it beyond the election, which must be held by November 15.

He set out six National concerns, including the potential for a government to unduly swell its own coffers, and that New Zealand was developing a scheme ahead of Australia.

Mr Key said the timetable for the bill was rushed and reckless.

He wants any major changes made to the scheme later by the Government to be sent back to the select committee for public hearings.

Helen Clark, just back from a trip to Japan and South Korea, said last night: "The longer we delay, the greater the cost to taxpayers.

"The longer we delay, the more the National Party wants to force the cost on to the general public than on to emitters."

Under an international agreement, New Zealand will be faced with a bill at the end of the first five-year Kyoto commitment period, in 2012, the size of which will depend on how far short it has fallen of its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions to 1990 levels.

The emissions trading scheme is a financial incentive to reduce pollution, making big emitters buy permits to emit carbon and rewarding them with credits if they come under target.

The credits can then be sold to those who need permits.

The big emitting companies will either absorb the costs themselves or, more likely, pass on the extra cost to their customers, such as oil companies to motorists.