Without being outright “deniers”, most Australians remain climate-change “skeptics” — unconvinced about the scientific relevance of human-generated carbon to the Earth’s future climate and inhabitability.

But Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, really intends to impose an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). This calls for real opposition.

With an ETS, Australia would face a future of jobs-losing, prices rising, small businesses closing and inequality increasing.

Opposition leader, Mr Turnbull, has effectively become a clone of Mr Rudd on this matter. So he has to go.

Who can replace him? We need somebody prepared to act for what he considers right, regardless of party politics.

Is Tony Abbott the man we are looking for?

* * *

Let’s hope so. There is nobody else around who looks anything like it.

Mr Abbott says his leadership challenge isn’t personal — he will withdraw it if Turnbull changes his stance on ETS – but that seems unlikely.

Mr Abbott is well educated and intelligent. He has a serious understanding of history. He sees history from a Catholic viewpoint.

He has a compassionate understanding of secularised Aussie battlers despairing at the prospect of lives dominated by media-fed materialism and computer-modelling-generated guesswork. Our suicide rates show how late in the day it is in this regard. Mr Abbott understands this.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mr Rudd reassures the ABC that religious views are “not relevant to the (political) equation”.

It isn’t easy for somebody like Mr Abbott to escape being dismissed as a Catholic fanatic.

He understands how Mother Mary MacKillop felt when she wrote, “Australia is in every sense a dangerous place for Catholics.”

Blessed Mary was talking about trying to be Catholic educator in her day in a hostile environment.

In our day, Mr Abbott is finding, and will continue to find, Australia a dangerous place to be a Catholic politician.

We should pray for our poor, God-forsaking, nation—especially for our political leaders.