The Greens today welcomed reports that five Labor MPs are asking Prime Minister Rudd to embrace a carbon tax.

The fastest and most effective way to do this would be to adopt the Greens' proposal for a levy on the biggest polluters, developed from Professor Garnaut's recommendations and supported by economists, unions, the environment movement and 72% of voters.

"The Greens' carbon levy proposal is on the table and we stand ready to work with the government to get it through the parliament before the election so Australia can get cracking with climate action," said Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne.

"It is heartening to read that young Australians are demanding real climate action from their MPs and that those MPs are getting the message loud and clear.

"Mr Rudd would be well-advised to listen to this message and embrace the Greens' carbon levy proposal which, after all, comes from his own key climate adviser, Ross Garnaut."

The media report quoted government sources as saying the Prime Minister would not agree to a carbon tax, outing Mr Rudd as the key obstacle to climate action.

"The Prime Minister and his ministers apparently prefer to attack the Greens for our scientifically-based and economically responsible position opposing the CPRS than to work with us to get climate action through the Senate.

"The Greens worked hard and constructively to turn the CPRS from a barrier to climate action into at least a small step in the right direction, but the government rejected all our 22 proposed amendments out of hand.

"Without any of the changes we proposed, the CPRS would have effectively paid polluters to keep polluting and locked out the chance of Australia cutting emissions as much and as fast as the science tells us is necessary.

"The Greens' carbon levy proposal is only a start, but it would be a start designed to be improved down the track. Unlike the CPRS, it could not hold back climate action.

"If Mr Rudd is still committed to an emissions trading scheme, this carbon levy is designed so that it can be seamlessly transformed into such a scheme down the track. Alternatively, it can be strengthened into a full scale carbon tax.

"In the discussions that I commenced with Minister Wong, we certainly did not reach any substantive obstacles that could not be dealt with through serious negotiations.

"I look forward to continuing discussions with Minister Wong about this sensible proposal."

Detailed information on the Greens' proposal is available here:
http://christine-milne.greensmps.org.au/content/breaking-cprs-deadlock