Under the threat of revolt on his backbench, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday spelt out repeatedly that his government would not put a price on carbon in any form before the next election.

Two days after Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg put consideration of an emissions intensity scheme on the table, Mr Turnbull said such a scheme had never been part of the Coalition review of its climate policies.

"The position is very clear, it is absolutely clear, this review is business as usual . . . The one thing I want to be very clear about, we are not going to take any steps that will increase the already too high cost of energy for Australian families and businesses," Mr Turnbull said.

"We will not be imposing a carbon tax and we will not be imposing an emissions trading scheme, however it is called. An emissions intensity scheme is an emissions trading scheme. That is just another name for it. That has been our policy for many years now."

But in a torturous press conference at Sydney's fish markets, Mr Turnbull was under pressure to explain how the Coalition let the carbon genie back out of the policy bottle at all.

Asked whether Mr Frydenberg had the imprimatur of the Prime Minister's office when he went out on Monday, Mr Turnbull did not give an answer.

"If you want to ask questions about what another minister said, you should address them to him," he said.

The process of measuring the feeling in the public - and in one's own party - is known as running an idea up the flagpole.

Both Mr Frydenberg and Mr Turnbull have been in a rush to lower the carbon flag over the past 24 hours.

"I have just spoken to the Prime Minister and I saw that press conference. It was very clear what the government's position is and was, namely, that we wouldn't be putting in place a carbon tax or an emissions trading scheme," Mr Frydenberg said in his own media conference on Wednesday morning.

"We have made it very clear. We're not adopting or advocating an emissions intensity scheme, a carbon tax or an ETS, that is a clear level of distinction between us and the Labor Party."

Also seeking to switch the political focus to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Labor's pledge to introduce an emissions trading scheme, Mr Turnbull said now was the wrong time to put any upward pressure on energy bills.

"We are facing a very challenging global environment. Everyone understands that. We don't want to be putting brakes on the Australian economy," he said.

"If you vote Labor at the next election and Labor wins, you will pay more for electricity, you will pay more for energy because they will introduce an emissions trading scheme. That is their policy."

Mr Shorten hit back, calling Mr Turnbull a "weak fellow" for caving into pressure from within the Liberal and National Party ranks.

"As soon as the Turnbull Government announced everything was on the table in terms of looking at harmful effects of climate change, out come our friends from the right wing of the Liberal Party, yanking Mr Turnbull on the chain and pulling him back into line," he said.

"He doesn't believe in anything except saving his job, and as a result, we're seeing him lash out and lie and make up stories about Labor because he can't convince his own party to take sensible action on climate change and attract new investment and jobs to Australia."

He accused Mr Turnbull of throwing Mr Frydenberg "under a bus" on the issue.

On Tuesday night, former prime minister Tony Abbott, who rolled Mr Turnbull of the Liberal Party leadership over carbon pricing, said the "last thing" the Coalition needed was another debate on something that was "settled for our side back in 2009".

"We're against a carbon tax. We're against an ETS. We're against anything that's a carbon tax by stealth," he said.

Leaked media talking points distributed to Coalition MPs show an evolution in the stance of the Prime Minister's office since Monday.

"The review is the next step in our methodical approach to climate change policy since coming into government. The 2017 review will build on the success of the government's approach and ensure policies remain effective in achieving Australia's 2030 target and Paris Agreement commitments," MPs were advised to say on Monday.

But by Wednesday that had changed to: "The government will not be adopting new policies which increase the already high cost of electricity for Australian families. In particular the government will not introduce an emissions intensity scheme which is a form of trading scheme that operates within the electricity generation sector."

Outspoken Liberal backbencher, Cory Bernardi seized on the government's backdown to press the case against carbon pricing, saying the episode had underlined the disconnect between the people and politicians.

"It was a clear attempt to reintroduce a price on hot air to satisfy the extreme greens and others seduced by the socialist alarmism of anthropogenic climate change," he said.

"I said it was the dumbest thing I had seen in recent political debate. Not only did it go against Liberal Party political interests, it was against our national interest. How any Australian political representative can justify actively seeking to weaken our already struggling economy is beyond me.

"In South Australia, where we have the highest renewable reliance in the country, we also have the least reliable energy supply at the highest cost. My home state is the living example of what Shorten, Xenophon et al (and some Libs) want to see repeated across the rest of the country."

Bodies to have recommended an emissions intensity scheme include the Climate Change Authority, which has a majority of its board appointed by the Coalition, groups representing energy generators and energy distribution networks, and the CSIRO.

Several business leaders have also backed it as a means to give the electricity sector some certainty to allow it to plan investments for cleaner power stations as Australia's ageing coal infrastructure closes in coming year.

With James Massola

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