Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's call for a plebiscite over the carbon tax looks unlikely to be adopted by Parliament after key independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott denied it support.

Mr Abbott wants the non-binding plebiscite to ask the question "Are you in favour of a law to impose a carbon tax?" put before Australians at a cost of around $80 million.

But to pass the House of Representatives the bill would need support from at least one of the independents - Mr Oakeshott, Mr Windsor or Andrew Wilkie.

Mr Windsor says he is rejecting it because he thinks it is "a stunt" and because no carbon price legislation has been agreed to in the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.

Fellow MP Mr Oakeshott says the bill is "a bit of a Monday surprise" and will not support it because proper parliamentary processes have not been followed.

Mr Wilkie says he will not make a decision until he gets advice on whether the $80 million spend is a money bill.

Mr Windsor likened the bill to the $12 million carbon tax advertising campaign announced by the Government last week which he criticised for its timing ahead of any carbon price deal.

"And now we are being asked to support a plebiscite about a carbon tax that doesn't particularly exist and may not exist," Mr Windsor said.

Mr Oakeshott says he is also highly critical of spending $80 million on a policy that does not exist.

He invited the Coalition to join the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee and participate in the process of formulating a carbon policy.

Opposition Senate leader Eric Abetz this afternoon introduced a bill to the Senate for a plebiscite to be held before a carbon tax is introduced.

Earlier, Mr Abbott urged the independents to support him.

"In the end it is their call. I accept they're independents, but I very much hope they will believe it is in everyone's interest that we have a plebiscite, a public vote, a popular vote on this very important issue," he told AM.

House Leader Anthony Albanese called the plebiscite plan a "last-minute stunt" and a "dummy spit", saying it shows Mr Abbott still has not accepted the result of the last election.

"What we're seeing is the longest dummy-spit in Australian political history and an attempt to impose this on the Australian body politic," he told AM.

"We will have a parliamentary vote on any action regarding climate change and that is appropriate; that is the way we deal with our processes in our parliamentary democracy.

"He certainly can't do it at 10 o'clock because Parliament isn't sitting this morning at 10 o'clock. That shows how last-minute and stunt-like this response is."

Greens leader Bob Brown also dismissed the call, saying his party would not be backing the plebiscite, which he described as a "sideshow", "tricky" and a "huge waste of taxpayers' money".

Senator Brown said the result of any such poll would depend on the wording, and predicted Mr Abbott would lose if a plebiscite was held on his "direct action" plan.

"It's a tricky political move but one that's very expensive on the public purse," he told Radio National.

"What he's saying here is 'I didn't get government, so I want to sideline government while I go with taxpayer-funded plebiscites on various issues'."

Sideshow

Senator Brown says the Greens will not support "this extremely expensive way of getting an opinion but not binding parliament".

"It's a bit of a sideshow, with Tony Abbott off to the side there in the hands of the big polluters," he said.

Crossbench senators Steve Fielding and Nick Xenophon would also need to back the bill for it to force a plebiscite.

Senator Xenophon said he was attracted to the idea of a plebiscite, but not a "simplistic" one.

"Simply having a plebiscite saying do you support a carbon tax, yes or no, I think is a bit simplistic," he told reporters at Parliament House.

"The best way is for the Government to put its package up and say this is what it will be, and then have a say that way.

"I'm attracted to the Opposition's proposal but there's more work to be done on it."

A spokesman for Senator Fielding said he needed to see the details.

Mr Abbott has repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Julia Gillard over her pre-election promise that she would not introduce a carbon tax, and says the public should be able to vote on one of the biggest economic changes in Australia's history.

"This is the vote the Prime Minister didn't allow us to have at the last election. I'd like the Australian people to vote on whether they are in favour of a law to impose a carbon tax and I would like this to happen within 90 days of the bill's passing through the Parliament," he said.

But Mr Abbott defended his decision to ask for a $80 million vote at a time when the Government and the Opposition both acknowledge the cost-of-living pressures on families.

"It is better the public should have a say on this, even at the cost... than the Government impose an $11.5 billion tax on the Australian public every year."