Carbon tax and boats top Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott's priority list as he returns to Canberra today Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott in Sydney CBD yesterday. Picture: BRADEN FASTIER Source: News Limited TONY Abbott will hit the ground running today when he returns to Canberra as Prime Minister-elect, promising to put a bill to repeal the carbon tax to Parliament within a matter of weeks. Even with Labor and the Greens set to lose control of the Senate next July - following the worst primary vote result for Labor since the '30s - Mr Abbott has vowed to waste no time in pursuing his mandate. The Daily Telegraph has learned that Mr Abbott is likely to seek a return to Parliament as early as mid-October and the first act of Parliament will be the axing of the tax. But his first call this morning will be to NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, in a rev-up to get work started on building the Sydney WestConnex motorway network. His second will be to the Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, to issue the official order to begin turning back the boats. In stark contrast to Kevin Rudd's style, Mr Abbott will assure Mr O'Farrell he will work closely with the NSW government to get the State moving. "If the state's economy is to really take off it requires good government in Canberra as well as in Macquarie St and that's what I want to provide from day one," Mr Abbott told The Daily Telegraph yesterday following a first day of back-to-back meetings with department heads. The carbon tax has been a handbrake on the NSW economy and I will assure Premier O'Farrell today that my top legislative priority is scrapping the carbon tax because that will be an adrenalin shot for local business and relief for families too. I know the Premier wants to fire the starting gun on construction of WestConnex and as soon as he does our $1.5 billion commitment will start to flow this financial year. It's our highest priority project to get Sydney moving. I can assure the people of Sydney we are determined to stop the boats and as soon as the Coalition government is sworn in, the Navy can start to turn boats around when it is safe to do so. At final counting last night The Australian Electoral Commission had the Coalition up to 86 seats, Labor on 57, with Independents Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie and Greens MP Adam Bandt all retaining their seats. It said four seats were still to be decided. But at least six Labor held seats are believed to be still in contention on postal votes including three in NSW - Eden Monaro, Reid and Barton. Petrie and Capricornia in Queensland were also said to too close to call for certain as well as McEwan in Victoria. What is looking more certain, however, is that Labor will lose control of the Senate with the Greens from July 1 next year with a rabble of fringe right wing Independents set to be elected to the upper house, including two members of mining magnate Clive Palmer's party, a Liberal Democrat from NSW and a motoring enthusiast from Victoria. Coalition sources claimed that, while the change in the Senate from having a left wing balance of power to more conservative Independents would make it easier to pass the carbon tax repeal bill, they feared what sort of deals may be required. Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott arrives at his offices in Sydney CBD. Mr Abbott is unlikely to be officially sworn in until later this week, preventing him from issuing any instructions to the public service for several days. He must first be formally re-endorsed as Liberal leader when the Coalition party room meets in Canberra later this week. The Daily Telegraph has learned that Mr Abbott is likely to seek a return to Parliament as early as mid-October and the first act of Parliament will be the carbon tax repeal bill. Senior Liberals yesterday were jubilant but said there was some "analysis" already underway as to why it didn't secure the number of seats expected in Queensland and western Sydney - where the expected swings against Labor appeared to be contained, saving at least half a dozen seats - such as Treasurer Chris Bowen's seat - which the party had feared it would lose. With recriminations already beginning over Labor's loss, and a blame war erupting between Mr Rudd's travelling party and the Labor campaign headquarters, Labor national secretary George Wright called on the party to choose a new leader and stick with them. "The important thing is we choose one, we get one and we stick with it," Mr Wright said.