The newly-established climate change commission now counts an Australian of the Year recipient as its new head following its initial gathering on Thursday.

Tim Flannery will be the top man for the commission set up by the federal government to gather community support for a carbon price being mulled in Australia. Apart from Flannery, climate experts have also been included in the body.

The commission replaces the citizen's assembly initially pledged but was eventually scrapped by the government. Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said that Flannery's commission would be given sufficient leeway on its operations and will conduct its business independent of the government.

Combet emphasised that Flannery's work and that of his colleagues are crucial in determining the country's eventual policy on carbon pricing as he stressed that "it is very important that people in the community can get access to information about climate change, about climate science and what is going on internationally."

He added that the commission will also provide "access to informed independent information about the measures being taken to tackle climate change, including what a carbon price is and how it may work."

Most importantly, according to Combet, the commission's work will bridge the gap between the people in the community and "to the people with the relevant qualifications."

Flannery expressed joy on his new role in the climate change commission and said that his entry in to the body came at a right time as he vowed that under his leadership, the commission "will be trying to lead discussion on what climate science has to offer us ... and also to lead a discussion in terms of the options."