Coalition warns of triple whammy as families hit with carbon tax costs In an interview with political correspondent Steve Lewis, Shadow Climate Change minister Greg Hunt vows the Opposition 'won't stop' until it has repealed the Carbon tax. FAMILIES will be slugged $545 in annual carbon tax costs starting from Monday with the Coalition warning of a "triple whammy" if Labor is re-elected and the price of cutting emissions keeps rising. With the carbon tax to be a life-and-death election issue, Greg Hunt, the Coalition's climate change spokesman, vowed the Opposition "won't stop" until it has repealed Labor's greenhouse scheme - if it wins office. Rudd may call August election In an interview with News Limited, Mr Hunt predicted a defeated Labor Party would adopt the same stance that the Coalition used on WorkChoices after the 2007 election - allowing the government of the day to repeal the reforms. Mr Hunt also said he was "happy to consider" nuclear energy as a future source of power in Australia - but only if there was support from Labor and the community to embrace it. The price of the carbon tax goes up from $23 to $24.15 a tonne from today (Monday), costing average families $545 a year. And while many will receive compensation, Mr Hunt said a re-elected Labor Government will also start taxing diesel fuel from July 1, 2014. "It goes up again on the 1st of July next year and there is a triple whammy because there is going to be a tax on trucks if the ALP is re-elected," Mr Hunt said. Swan hits campaign trail after spill His comments were made before Kevin Rudd's return as Prime Minister with the Government signalling it may bring forward an emissions trading scheme - and a 'floating' carbon price - by a year to July 1 2014. Labor and the Coalition have markedly differing approaches to tackling climate change and Mr Hunt an Abbott government would be up to the challenge of reversing one of Julia Gillard's landmark reforms. The Coalition has even flagged the prospect of holding a "double dissolution" election - involving the House of Representatives and a full Senate election - if Labor and the Greens try to block moves to repeal the carbon tax. We are committed to repealing the carbon tax, that is a cast iron commitment. I don't believe that (double dissolution) will be necessary - but we have made it absolutely clear we will not stop until the tax is repealed because it is a matter of trust and faith and commitment, and people want to be able to trust their government," he said. If we are elected, the ALP in the Senate will have exactly the same experiences that we had on WorkChoices. We recognise that there is a mandate from the people (and) I suspect that they will learn the same lesson if we are successful. While the Coalition's alternative "Direct Action" has been sharply criticised by green groups - and sections of business - Mr Hunt rejects suggestions that it will do little to help the environment. He says there are "two great myths" surrounding the debate over the carbon tax. First, what the rest of the world is doing. To illustrate, Mr Hunt said US President Barack Obama has just announced a "major plan" focusing on elements of the Coalition's Direct Action plan including energy efficiency, cleaning up power stations and "using forests - all of the things that we are talking about." India and China, two of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, were also "not focused on emissions trading schemes," he claimed. Secondly, he claimed that the carbon tax is "not actually working" in cutting emissions due to the fact that it was an "electricity tax and electricity is an essential services." "Taxing electricity is about the worst and least efficient way of dealing with this problem," he said. In 2010, the Coalition announced plans to establish a so-called "Green Army" if it won office, and it will build on this pledge in the election lead-up. While such a scheme would eventually have around 15,000 young people a year, it would start with a "modest number." Mr Hunt is enthusiastic about the prospect of these "teams of 10 young people" working in the environment under guidance and making a difference in practical ways. ``We want good environment outcomes for the community - cleaning up river banks, mangrove rehabilitation, really good things that every community can see," he said. He also denies people will be plucked from dole queues to make up the numbers. ``These will be young people who will volunteer - they could be school leavers taking a gap year, you could be unemployed, you could be in between jobs or maybe looking for a new career," he said. We want to give every young Australian the opportunity to give six months service to the environment. They will be paid for it, and that is a very good thing," he said.