Promises made by the government in the run-up to the federal election no longer necessarily apply because of the “new environment” created by a hung parliament, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.

“It’s not business as usual for measures that require substantial legislation,” Ms Gillard said in an interview with Fairfax Newspapers published on Saturday.

This included “big picture reforms – and anything associated with climate change is obviously one where we’re in a new environment”, she said.

Ms Gillard on Thursday said Labor remained committed to working towards a price on carbon but said there were complex policy questions that must first be addressed.

With climate change policy now being shaped by a cross-party committee comprising politicians and outside experts, Ms Gillard said that what she said before the election no longer applied.

“We laboured long and hard to develop a market-based mechanism,” she said of the government’s emissions trading scheme.

“But I’m recognising the political reality.

“I campaigned as prime minister in an election campaign with policies for the government.

“We are in a new environment where in order for any action to happen in this parliament, you need more consensus than the views and policies of the government and this committee is the way of recognising that.”