Labor's double dissolution fear revealed Greens fail to join party on carbon tax tactic Repealing the carbon tax: Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Labor's bid to delay the vote on repealing the carbon tax until next year is foundering after it failed to win Greens support for a tactic that would have denied the government a double dissolution election trigger. While negotiations between the two parties are continuing, the divide sets up the swift rejection of the repeal bills in the Senate. Mr Abbott introduced the carbon tax repeal bills to the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday, saying he had an emphatic mandate to abolish a tax that was a "$9 billion hit on the economy." Against tax termination: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. "Repealing the carbon tax will reduce the cost of living, make jobs more secure and improve the competitive position of our country," he said. Why would anyone be against that, particularly when it's what the Australian people have just voted for? The government wants to push the repeal bills through the Senate quickly, and should Labor vote against them, the government is likely to amp up its condemnation. But Greens leader Christine Milne said it was time to take a stand in favour of carbon pricing, which was the best method of curbing carbon emissions that were driving global warming. "If Tony Abbott wants to make destroying action on global warming his first act, the Greens will make voting it down our first act": Greens leader Christine Milne. Photo: Penny Bradfield "We won't back down or delay," she said. If Tony Abbott wants to make destroying action on global warming his first act, the Greens will make voting it down our first act. Senator Milne wants an inquiry into the government's replacement for the carbon tax, a $2.9 billion "direct action" plan to pay companies to cut pollution. Labor wants a broader inquiry that would include the tax repeal bills as well, giving it a mechanism to delay the vote. "I don't understand the Greens' position," Labor environment spokesman Mark Butler said. You can't divide it into two. You don't want to look only at direct action, you need to look at the dismantling of the existing system. The Greens and Labor need mutual support to get their respective inquiries up, so they have a strong incentive to compromise. A source said Labor was concerned Mr Abbott could call a double dissolution election if the Senate twice blocked the repeal bills before July 1. It also wants to use the delay in the vote to stall any political attack by the government. The inquiry would also allow it to build more support for its position in the meantime, a complex political task. During the recent election campaign, Kevin Rudd said he would "terminate" the carbon tax, but also said he would replace it with a lower, floating price on carbon. Because the government insists it will abandon carbon pricing altogether, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said he now would not support the termination of the tax. This came as the details of the repeal legislation revealed funding of Australia's $3 billion renewable energy agency would be slashed by $435 million. The Coalition signalled a cut to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency when it released its pre-election costings, but had refused to detail how great this would be. The independent agency was established to support renewable energy projects and research. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said the government was committed to the agency, but had been clear before the election it wanted to make savings in programs connected to the carbon tax.