The Greens have accused the new minister responsible for emissions of "hiding" evidence of rising pollution after the government missed a deadline to provide emissions data.
The national greenhouse gas inventory for the December quarter was due by last Friday under a schedule set by the Senate.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Energy Minister Angus Taylor, who has taken over responsibility for emissions from the former environment minister Melissa Price, could not use the election as an excuse.
"They've had five months to gather the department and get it together," she told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"This is more of hiding the facts from the people. They're now in contempt of Parliament."
Sarah Hanson-Young is putting pressure on the government to release the latest emissions data. Source: AAP
Senator Hanson-Young expected the figures would show an increase in pollution.
"The government is doing very little to cut pollution to deal with the very dangerous escalation of global warming and climate change."
The September quarterly results showed a slight reduction in emissions compared to the previous three-month period before then, but a rise year-on-year.
Environment Department officials told Senate estimates hearings before the election that they did not expect the deadline would not be a problem.
A department spokesperson said the data would be released "soon" and did not comment on why it had been delayed.
Mr Taylor's office has also been contacted for comment.
'Climate trigger' laws proposed
The Greens are also calling for Australia's environment laws to be changed to consider the threats of climate change.
“In this age of climate change, it would be ridiculous and reckless not to take pollution into account when reviewing major development proposals.
File photo of a Queensland coal mine Source: AAP
Senator Hanson-Young plans to introduce a Private Member's Bill which would insert a "climate trigger" into federal environment laws, ensuring that pollution is considered in major project proposals.
Senator Hanson-Young said environmental assessments should include the impact of pollution and on climate change even when resources are shipped overseas such as the coal supplied to India from the planned Adani mine in Queensland.
“Projects like Adani and drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight simply wouldn’t be approved if a climate trigger was in place," she said.
Labor environment spokeswoman Terri Butler said her party had taken to the election a policy of inserting a reference to climate change in federal environmental laws, which had not been significantly reformed in two decades.
"I will be holding discussions with colleagues, stakeholders and the community to formulate our policy for the next election," she told AAP.
Additional reporting by AAP
