Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he would call a double-dissolution election if Labor senators block his attempts to dump the carbon tax.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked about whether he would take the drastic step.

“Everything that we humanly can, we will do.”

From its first day in office, Mr Abbott said the coalition would issue strong directives to public servants to prepare legislation to unwind the tax.

“On day one of the new parliament I will introduce the carbon tax repeal legislation,” Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio.

“I am confident that the parliament will be able to deal with this within a matter of a couple of months.”

Mr Abbott said his repeal laws would have no trouble passing through both houses of parliament, saying voters will use the federal election to voice their opposition to the tax.

“I don’t believe that the Labor Party, having lost an election which is a referendum on the carbon tax, is going to commit suicide twice by saying `to hell with you voters, we still support a carbon tax’.”

Treasurer Wayne Swan said refusing to embrace new forms of renewable energy would leave Australia lagging behind other developed nations.

“You can’t be a first-world, first-class developed economy in the 21st century unless you’re energy efficient and substantially powered by renewable energy,” Mr Swann told Fairfax Radio on Tuesday.