Labor used the start of parliamentary sittings on Wednesday to demand Immigration Minister Scott Morrison provide an explanation to the House of Representatives.
But the government used its numbers to stymie the move.
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke said the coalition had failed to deliver on its promise to be more transparent and honest in government.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the government will deliver on its promise to axe the carbon tax, despite the opposition refusing to back the legislation.
Mr Abbott will present his government's first major piece of legislation shortly after 9am (AEDT) on Wednesday to deliver a long-held promise to abolish the carbon tax, introduced by Labor in 2012.
He says his government is determined to keep the commitment, but would not answer directly if he would go to a double dissolution election if the bill was blocked in the Senate.
"The bill that I am introducing into the parliament this morning is my bill to reduce all of your bills," Mr Abbott told the Nine Network on Wednesday.
"For some reason good old electricity Bill Shorten is standing in the way of everyone else's electricity bills going down."
He said Labor MPs should take note of the election result and allow the legislation through.
"I say to the decent honest members of the Labor party, why are you putting up with a leader who is in denial about the election result?" Mr Abbott said.
"The Labor party should do the right thing by the workers and people of Australia and not stand in the way of scrapping this toxic tax."
With a clear majority in the House of Representatives, the government can speedily pass this legislation over Labor objections.
But in the Senate, Labor and Greens hold a clear majority. That will remain until the recently-elected new Senators take their places from July 1 next year.
It will be the first time the public gets a glimpse of how Mr Abbott will conduct himself as leader in question time, as he faces off against new Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
Keeping them in line will be the new Speaker, Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop, the first woman from the conservative side of politics to occupy this important position.
With an encyclopaedic knowledge of standing orders, Ms Bishop has long prepared for this job.
But she also has a reputation as a formidable political warrior.
"In this chair I will act impartially. That is the responsibility that goes back to 1377," she assured parliament on Tuesday.
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