The federal government will be less able to delay the release of embarrassing national carbon pollution figures after the Senate approved rolling deadlines for the quarterly data.

The Greens secured Labor and crossbench support of a so-called order of continuing effect that requires the government to table the Greenhouse Gas Inventory figures within five months of the end of each quarter, or provide an explanation for any delay.

Regular emission updates in the winds: AGL's Bayswater black-coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley. Credit:Glen McCurtayne

The motion, passed by 33-27 votes, follows an erratic series of releases of the key climate data since the Abbott government took office in September 2013.

The average delay between the end of each quarter and the publishing of the pollution figures went from about four to five months under the Gillard government, to as long as seven months at the start of the Abbott term. At least one case involved sitting on almost a year's worth of data.