Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is warning the Greens against voting down Labor's signature climate change legislation, arguing "no reform means no change".
The federal government's Safeguard Mechanism Bill would require the nation's 215 largest-polluting facilities to reduce their emissions by 4.9 per cent each year to 2030, or face penalties.
The mechanism is the core of the government's plan to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by the decade's end.
The government is nearing the end of negotiations on the bill which is currently before the Senate and could be voted on in the next sitting period.
Labor needs the support of the Greens to pass the legislation.
The Greens have offered their necessary support for its legislation, with a single condition that new coal and gas projects are blocked from development.
The party labelled the government's target as "weak" and is adamant that allowing new coal and gas projects would erase any potential emissions reductions.
In a key speech to The Sydney Institute, Chris Bowen warned that a failure to pass the bill would result in rising emissions.
"I understand the emphasis on possible new facilities in the public debate, but this reform is about reducing emissions from all facilities: old and new, industrial and resources-based."
Immediate gas ban 'irresponsible'
Mr Bowen has repeatedly ruled out the government bowing to demands to ban new fossil fuel projects, insisting there is a vital need for future gas supply.
He said the calls for an immediate ban on future gas are "irresponsible".
Mr Bowen used his speech to criticise the Coalition for opposing the bill, labelling them "irrelevant", and accused the Greens of failing to understand the complexity of the reforms.
"Others are quick to label any action as not good enough, rapid to call for more while ignoring the complexities and imperatives of managing this complex transition smoothly to ensure our lights stay on and our industrial base is nurtured and expanded during this vital transformation," Mr Bowen said.
Mr Bowen said the government was ultimately going for a "centrist" approach but insisted it was far from timid.
"Slogans and calls for faster action often ignore the realities and complexities of the task we are undertaking," Mr Bowen said.
"We receive criticism from the left and the right, but we continue with alacrity because this middle way is the right way and it is our great responsibility to make policy, not just a point."
