CANBERRA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Australia's richest politician, Malcolm Turnbull, was elected leader of the conservative opposition on Tuesday, signalling stronger support for the government's emissions trading scheme planned to start in 2010.

The move aims to end destabilising speculation about the leadership of the opposition, which has struggled to gain ground in opinion polls since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Labor won power last November, ending almost 12 years of conservative rule.

Turnbull, who was environment minister in the previous conservative government, was a strong advocate of Australia ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, but was rebuffed by former prime minister John Howard.

Turnbull, a former merchant banker and ex-leader of the republican movement, won in a secret partyroom ballot, said party officials. He is likely to re-cast his team to combat Rudd's popularity which has been at record levels in the 10 months since his election.

Rudd's government, which does not need to go to elections until late 2010 or early 2011, remains well ahead of the opposition in published opinion polls. The latest Newspoll found Rudd had an approval rating of 62 percent, compared with Nelson's 16 percent. (Reporting by Rob Taylor, editing by Michael Perry)

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