Isra-Mart srl: Gillard not expecting jump in support

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned Labor colleagues' attitudes to the carbon tax won't change overnight, as the coalition called for greater scrutiny.

The government will unveil the final details of the emissions trading scheme - starting with a fixed price on carbon from July 1, 2012 - at a media conference in Canberra on Sunday.

Recent polls have shown majority public opposition to a carbon tax, and the broken election promise has been blamed for Labor's stocks and Ms Gillard's personal popularity sinking to record lows.

Addressing the Labor caucus on Tuesday, Ms Gillard cautioned that she did not expect an immediate turnaround in public opinion.

'We won't see an instantaneous jump in support,' she said.

The prime minister said the final package - which was broadly outlined to caucus members on Tuesday - would be 'consistent with Labor principles', with nine out of 10 households getting tax cuts or other forms of assistance, and clean energy jobs created over time.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott attacked the prime minister for not releasing the details in parliament before the five-week winter break.

Mr Abbott said if the weekend announcement was to go ahead, parliament should be recalled next week to properly scrutinise 'the biggest structural change in our nation's economic history'.

Ms Gillard told parliament there would be no shortage of scrutiny.

'I will be out day after day following Sunday, taking every question from every Australian family who wants to ask me,' she said.

'I will be wearing out my shoe leather literally around the country, making sure Australian families who want answers about the carbon pricing package get those answers.'

As the coalition accused Labor of ducking questions on specific details of the package, Labor senator Glenn Sterle also queried the impact on fuel.

'While we are dancing to the tunes of the lunatic Greens who knows what is going to come out at the end of the day,' he told ABC radio.

'But quite frankly I will be supporting Australian truck drivers to make sure they are not disadvantaged.'

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce said he was glad to see some support from 'people who don't want to go on with the BS that this tax is all about'.

Mr Abbott told coalition colleagues at a meeting on Tuesday morning they should not underestimate the 'intense and relentless' political battle ahead.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Bank chief Ralph Norris said business would 'welcome the certainty' of this weekend's announcement.

'Having a very clear and specific understanding of what's going to be in that legislation and how the carbon tax is actually going to be promulgated is going to obviously provide some degree of certainty,' he told reporters in Brisbane.