Aust 'hearts broken' over climate: Labor

Many Australians had "their hearts broken" after newly-installed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull revealed his government's climate policy wouldn't change, Labor believes.

Opposition environment spokesman Mark Butler said a "spectacular" move by China to introduce a nation-wide emissions trading scheme showed only Labor would "get with the rest of the world" with a similar policy.

Many Australians had hoped Mr Turnbull would "drag his party back to the sensible centre on climate change" and commit to his previously-preferred ETS but had their hearts broken when the prime minister committed to the existing direct action policy, Mr Butler told reports in Casino on Saturday.