Labor will seek a voter mandate for its planned early move to a floating carbon price and expects the coalition to respect it if the government is re-elected.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Tuesday Australia will move to a market-based emissions trading scheme (ETS) from July 1, 2014 - one year earlier than planned.
The move, expected to cost the government $3.8 billion over four years, will have to be legislated.
On Wednesday, Climate Change Minister Mark Butler hinted parliament could be recalled, saying legislation to fast-track the switch would be ready before the election.
But Treasurer Chris Bowen said Labor was seeking a mandate for the change - usually done by taking a policy to an election and winning.
"Whether it goes through the parliament or not will depend on the entire parliament, both houses," he told the National Press Club on Thursday.
"Is the position of the Liberal Party really, having campaigned against a fixed carbon price for three years, that they will oppose a re-elected government with a mandate to change that policy?"
The government says households will be better off because its compensation package will stay while cost of living should drop.
Mr Bowen said although many people criticised treasury forecasts, so far everything it had modelled about the economic impact of the carbon price had been "100 per cent right".
"All the things they've predicted have happened," he said.
"So I see no evidence that their prediction ... that going to a floating price earlier will provide cost of living relief to families should be wrong."
