Isra-Mart srl: Carbon tax legislation out for comment

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The public has a month to comment on draft legislation detailing how the federal government's carbon price will operate and be enforced.

Draft legislation, released on Thursday, also includes bills establishing the clean energy regulator to run the carbon price and the independent climate change authority that will advise on future directions for the policy.

Also, the government will step up its campaign to sell the carbon tax, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said during a speech at the Sydney University Law School.

From next week, the government will mail a brochure to all households outlining the carbon price proposal.

Mr Combet said he found people became more comfortable with the government's approach to dealing with climate change once they had the package explained in detail.

'People are interested in the facts,' he said.

'This is very important in an environment where (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott has created such fear and apprehension in the community, completely unjustifiably, in a totally unprincipled manner.'

The package of 14 draft bills is open for comment until August 22.

Mr Combet hopes to introduce the final legislation to the House of Representatives in September.

The draft bills detail how the three-year fixed carbon price and the subsequent move to an emissions trading scheme will work.

They also enshrine in legislation the target of reducing Australian emissions to 80 per cent below 2000 levels by 2050.

Mr Combet said the legislation specified rules for what sources of carbon emissions would be covered by the tax, such as excluding agriculture and detailing the new petrol taxation arrangements.

The legislation links the carbon price to the carbon farming initiative and sets up the assistance measures from emissions-intensive and trade-exposed industries.

The minister said the government was still drafting legislation for the household assistance measures Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced earlier in July.

The government also intends to introduce more legislation in 2012 that would cover the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said the government was rushing to lock in the carbon tax before voters could have a say through an election.

'Once more it appears the Labor government is steamrolling ahead with a carbon tax the community doesn't want and is failing to think through the implications of its policy,' he said.

The Australian Greens welcomed the legislation's release.

'The Greens will go over this draft legislation with a fine-toothed comb,' deputy leader Christine Milne said.

The party wants to make sure it reflects the agreement announced earlier in July and continue discussions with the government and independents.