Mr Martin will decide today or tomorrow if he is to join an exodus of state politicians flying overseas for taxpayer-funded study tours during State Parliament’s winter break.

Mr Martin (pictured) is tentatively booked to fly to the UK, Ireland and Italy for four weeks from the end of August to see how those nations are faring with climate control policies and emissions trading schemes.

He would be making the trip as a member of the parliament’s natural resources committee.

“I have been entitled to make this trip for three or four years now, but each time I have deferred it for different reasons,” Mr Martin said.

“I have made preliminary arrangements but I’m waiting for some information back from overseas to see what they have to offer us.”

Mr Martin said overseas study tours were a valuable exercise for MPs.

“I hope to come back a much better informed MP,” he said.

“As a state we’re going to have a lot of decisions to make regarding emissions trading, and specifically regarding the large coal industry in my electorate.

“I could have done this trip two or three years ago, but I’ve been waiting for the right topic to come along.”

If he takes the trip, Mr Martin will be required to report back to parliament on his findings.

However, he accepted there would be some in the community who saw such trips as nothing more than a taxpayer-funded junket.

“It’s a legitimate part of the job and the reason we go in winter is because that’s the only time there is a long enough break in the parliament,” he said.

“I accept there’s some cynicism and to be fair there have been cases in the past where [MPs] haven’t done the right thing but when Bob Carr was premier he tightened all that up.

“But there will always be people wanting to criticise us – such is life.”

Mr Martin has been on two previous study tours, one to the UK and Germany to look at organic farming and another to China and South Africa.