Mining tax repeal before the Senate

The Senate will turn its attention to mining tax repeal legislation after rejecting the Abbott government's plans to scrap the carbon tax last week.

The repeal bill has been listed as the first item of business in the upper house when parliament resumes on Monday.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb has urged Labor to get out of the government's way on the issue.

"Bill Shorten has big responsibilities, he's starting to look like the Bob Brown of the new parliament - walking sovereign risk," he told Sky News on Sunday.

The Abbott government says the tax is anti-Western Australian but WA Labor frontbencher Alannah MacTiernan dismissed that proposition as silly.

"The mining tax has not been a jobs killer," she told ABC TV on Sunday.

Ms MacTiernan admitted there have been times when it has not been a popular tax.

"I think people are pretty smart ... they understand that where you've got those companies paying the tax still investing, still recording record ... profits, that quite clearly the mining tax hasn't been the problem."

Labor supports the concept of a profits-based mining tax and will consult with the mining industry and states over the issue ahead of the next election, she said.