Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it's not too late to pulp the federal budget documents and insert details of the carbon tax.
Treasurer Wayne Swan will deliver his fourth budget on Tuesday night, but it won't include details of the carbon pricing scheme.
Mr Abbott told reporters in Queanbeyan the carbon tax was the biggest change to the tax system since the GST.
Not including it in the budget papers would leave a "hole in its heart", he said.
"It is not too late to pulp the document and reproduce it with the carbon tax in it.
"The treasury has done the modelling and it should be included."
Mr Abbott said all of the forecasting in the budget, including revenues, expenses, inflation and growth, would be wrong.
The government says the plan is still being negotiated with business, community groups, unions, the Greens and independents.
Mr Swan earlier on Monday said the details would be "incorporated in the next economic update".
"In this case it would be the mid-term review that comes towards the end of the year."
Asked about the government's plans to bring in 16,000 skilled migrants to help in the natural disaster recovery, Mr Abbott said Labor had "gravely damaged" the 457 visa scheme.
"That's one of the reasons why we have a significant shortage of skilled workers now," he said.
A coalition government would reverse any move by Labor to means-test the private health insurance rebate for high-income earners - a measure expected in Tuesday's budget.
"This is typical of the kind of class war cuts we are going to get from the government in this budget ... a tax on people who aspire to a better life," Mr Abbott said.
"We support private health insurance and we don't support means testing the private health insurance rebate."
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