Carbon pricing deal within weeks: Combet

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says he expects to reach an agreement with the Greens and independents on carbon pricing by the end of the month.

Mr Combet's comments come as a Galaxy poll shows 58 per cent of people are opposed to a carbon tax, with 28 per cent in favour.

Two-thirds of respondents want Prime Minister Julia Gillard to call an election before introducing the tax.

Mr Combet told reporters in Canberra the government understood there was a "considerable degree of concern" in the community, but he believed that would be addressed when the final package - including household and industry assistance - was released in early July.

"We are certainly determined to knock this issue over within weeks ... so we can make an announcement some time in July," Mr Combet said.

While Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the opinion poll showed people wanted a fresh election to test support for the carbon tax, independent MP Bob Katter - an opponent of the tax - said Labor should be allowed to govern.

"Stable government dictates that we give the people an opportunity to govern," Mr Katter told Sky News.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who helped deliver minority government to Labor last year, also on Monday stood by the prime minister despite concerns about its asylum seeker and live exports policies.

The poll was conducted ahead of weekend rallies across the country attended by an estimated 45,000 people under the banner of "We say yes to carbon pricing".

Mr Abbott said the government was still failing to explain the necessity of carbon pricing.

"It's one thing to get a few activists out in the street, it's another thing to explain to the public that this carbon tax is going to be good for them," Mr Abbott said.

"The prime minister does have a legitimacy problem and she should do the right thing by the Australian people and not introduce this tax without seeking a mandate for it at an election."

Meanwhile, a new study by the Australia Institute has rejected claims by the mining industry of 23,510 jobs being cut by a carbon tax.

Based on labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Household and Income Labour Dynamics of Australia (HILDA) surveys from 2001 to 2008, the study found that over a decade the average annual projected jobless rate would be only 0.016 percentage points higher than otherwise.

The job losses were "in a statistical sense close to invisible", the study said.

Opposition climate spokesman Greg Hunt said he did not believe the report.

"My view and our view is the 23,500 jobs for blue-collar workers matter and they matter an extraordinary amount," Mr Hunt said.