Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane has formally invited Labor to talks on the future of the renewable energy target.
The federal government is considering a report by businessman Dick Warburton, which questions the target of 20 per cent of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2020 known as the RET.
A formal response will be released in the next few weeks.
But in the meantime Mr Macfarlane on Wednesday wrote to Labor's climate spokesman Mark Butler to open talks on the RET's future.
It is understood the opposition wants to keep the small-scale solar rooftop scheme in place while pushing back the large-scale renewable energy production target of 41,000 gigawatt hours a few years beyond the 2020 date.
The Warburton review calls for the small-scale scheme to be abolished or phased out.
The large-scale scheme should be closed to new entrants and existing participants "grandfathered", or new entrants allowed in only as the demand for electricity rises, the review says.
The invitation to talks comes with the Australian Workers Union backing the push-back of the large-scale target and calling for the aluminium industry to be exempted from the RET, which costs the sector at $80 million a year.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten believes sectors such as aluminium should be taken into consideration in any changes that are made to the RET.
"There's no doubt that we have to make sure that vulnerable, emissions-intensive trade-exposed sectors like aluminium are carefully considered in the design of any renewable energy target," he said.
Labor wanted to end the uncertainty over jobs and investment in renewable energy which was triggered by the review, he said.
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