Prime Minister Tony Abbott challenges Labor to back his plan to scrap the carbon tax by Christmas TONY Abbott has given the Senate a deadline of Christmas to pass his bill to scrap the carbon tax and dared new Labor leader Bill Shorten to defy his mandate and wear the wrath of Sydney families. Throwing down the gauntlet to Labor yesterday, the Prime Minister publicly released the draft of the bills he has pledged to put before Parliament when it likely returns on November 11. "The people of Sydney sent a clear message at the election that they wanted us to ease cost of living by scrapping the carbon tax, to stop the boats and build WestConnex and in less than a month of Government we've taken action to tackle all three," Mr Abbott told The Daily Telegraph. Minister for Environment Greg Hunt with Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Sydneysiders feel cost of living pressures more than most. For once Labor must turn its back on the Greens and do the right thing by the people of Sydney and scrap the carbon tax. Operation Sovereign Borders is underway, the first stage of WestConnex is funded and now we've got the draft legislation out to repeal the carbon tax. The job of an Opposition is to listen and learn from the Australian people, that's what we did and that's what Labor now has to do. The Prime Minister claimed that once scrapped, average families would be $550 a year better off. And extra powers would be given to the consumer watchdog to crack down on profiteering businesses or power companies which failed to reduce their prices in line with the lifting of the tax. The PM refused to say what the consequences would be if Labor and the Greens refused to pass his bills by the end of year deadline, or whether he would make good on his threat to call a double dissolution election. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, right, addressing the first meeting of the Shadow Ministry at Parliament House in Canberra. Claiming the September 7 election was a referendum on the carbon tax, Mr Abbott said it was now Labor's chance to "repent" and has given the community and business until November 4 to make submissions on the bills. " (Mr Shorten) is nothing if not a political pragmatist ... nothing if not a political survivor," Mr Abbott said. But Labor is showing little sign that it will buckle. It will likely put up an amendment consistent with its election promise to end the current carbon tax and move immediately to a floating carbon price under an emissions trading scheme. "We won't back down on acting on climate change - or agree to a policy that increases carbon emissions while slugging the Australian taxpayer," Labor frontbencher and former Climate Change Minister Mark Butler said. Labor said clearly during the election campaign that we intended to terminate the Carbon Tax and move quickly to an ETS. The Coalition instead will throw the baby out with the bath water, and leave Australia with no credible policy on climate change. Mr Butler attacked the Coalition's Direct Action plan to combat climate change, capped at $3.2 billion, claiming it would in fact cost up to $15 billion and would not meet the target of reducing emissions by 5 per cent by 2020. Mr Abbott's bills, the first to go before the new Parliament, will unwind the 400 pages of carbon tax legislation. But liable companies will be required to keeping paying the tax until it is abolished. Mr Abbott faces a hostile Senate with Labor and the Greens holding the balance of power until it changes next July and delivers critical votes of Independents who have claimed they would support the repeal, but with conditions. "I would like the Senate to consider this matter as soon as possible," he said. (but) I'm only the Prime Minister. And the last thing a Prime Minister does is give instructions to the Senate, they do things their own way and I don't think anything about the senate is going to change any time soon.