The showdown on emissions trading has been delayed by at least one more day with the federal government indicating a final offer won't be put to the coalition until Tuesday.
After five weeks of backroom negotiations, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong and the coalition's chief negotiator Ian Macfarlane are on the verge of a deal.
But the government has tightened the screws on Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull by shortening the deadline he faces in getting his divided coalition to agree on a position.
Only four sitting days remain for the year, meaning there's even less time than that for the opposition leader to rally his dissident troops.
The opposition front bench was due to meet on Monday to discuss a negotiated offer, but will now have to push it back to Tuesday, just ahead of a joint coalition parties room meeting.
Senator Wong and Mr Macfarlane met for possibly the last of their negotiations on Sunday.
"We anticipate that we'll be in a position to put a very clear offer to the opposition on Tuesday morning, having gone through cabinet and caucus," Senator Wong told the Nine Network.
That was cutting it "very, very fine", Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne argued, while Prime Minister Kevin Rudd responded that the clock was ticking for Australia.
"We will make sure that the opposition has everything they need in time for the proper consideration of this in the parliament," he told reporters.
Mr Rudd and Senator Wong are happy to extend parliament, an offer quickly rejected by Mr Pyne.
The government had already held off negotiations to earn a double dissolution trigger and the parliament should not be held captive by its delaying tactics, he said.
Climate change has so far proven a tough ask for Mr Turnbull, who once staked his leadership on the issue and now faces another critical test when the government's final offer is on the table.
A negotiated deal is a good outcome, but only if he can get his party to back him on it.
Some coalition members have vowed to cross the floor on the scheme - amended or not - reportedly leading to internal party suggestions Mr Turnbull should vote no altogether to avoid a very public show of coalition disunity.
Opposition Senate leader Nick Minchin has also refused to rule out flouting a coalition front bench decision to back an amended scheme, sparking talk of possible frontbench sackings.
Senior Liberals continued to play down internal rifts on Sunday and backed their leader.
"This has been a difficult and messy time for the opposition," conceded Mr Pyne, who was otherwise without doubt the party would support Mr Turnbull should it be asked to vote for an amended ETS.
Meanwhile, the Australian Greens urged both parties to get real on emissions targets, after legal advice showed increasing them after an ETS was introduced would cost billions in compensation.
Senator Wong said the claim was without basis, as was Victoria's complaint that coal-fired power stations would be put out of business.
Greens Leader Bob Brown labelled the one-day delay unnecessary, given both parties were aware of the broader details of their negotiations.
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