Australian PM’s shock early election threat

By Jill Fraser

MELBOURNE Australia

An early election is on the cards in Australia if the Senate fails to pass two industrial relations bills.

In a shock move Monday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked Gov.-Gen. Sir Peter Cosgrove to recall both houses of parliament from recess April 18 to give the senate three weeks to deal with both bills.

Turnbull says he will call a double dissolution election July 2 if the bills -- the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and Registered Organisations Bills-- are not passed during the special sitting weeks.

The ABCC Bill is perceived as anti union.

The government has long threatened to call a full election if the Senate refuses to pass legislation to resurrect the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which was knocked back in August last year.

The union movement strongly opposes the Commission, the building industry watchdog, which was introduced during former Prime Minister John Howard’s tenure, because it threatens to establish special laws for the building industry and give the Commissioner powers to interrogate workers and union officials.

“The time for playing games is over,” Turnbull said during a press conference at Parliament House Canberra on Monday.

The Senate has already once rejected the Bill to re-establish the construction industry watchdog. It has twice rejected the Registered Organisations Bill.

“Today, I called upon His Excellency the Governor General to advise him to recall both Houses of Parliament on April 18 to consider and pass the Australian Building and Construction Commission Bills and the Registered Organisations Bill and he has made a proclamation to that effect."

“I make no apology for interrupting Senators’ seven week break to bring them back to deal with this legislation."

Section 57 of the Australian Constitution allows the government to call an early dissolution of both the House of Representatives and the whole of the Senate, dubbed a double dissolution. This results in fresh elections to both houses of federal parliament.

A double dissolution breaks a deadlock between the lower house and the Senate when the government does not control a majority in both houses.

The final day a double dissolution can be called is May 11.

On Monday, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten criticized the announcement, saying Turnbull was putting his own future ahead of the country's.

Turnbull was in "full panic mode", he said, after failing to deliver on economic leadership.

He added that his party was "not afraid" of a double dissolution.

Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale said: “The Prime Minister should go full-term and put a positive agenda forward to the Australian people, rather than running panicked to a double dissolution election. But if he does, the Greens are ready.”