Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull intends to call election if legislation is not passed

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull is taking a huge risk by setting up an early election. If someone calls his bluff, he could be in big trouble.

• Both houses of parliament have been recalled for April 18

• A double dissolution election will be held on July 2 if new laws not passed

• Budget will now be brought forward to May 3

• What is the ABCC?

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull is playing a “high risk poker game” in threatening senators with a double dissolution election.

Professor John Wanna told news.com.au that the tactic could backfire if the senators actually passed two pieces of legislation that Mr Turnbull plans to use as a double dissolution trigger — rather than rejecting them.

Mr Turnbull announced this morning that politicians would be recalled to parliament on April 18 to reconsider the two bills aimed at addressing union corruption in the building and construction industry.

If they did not pass, Mr Turnbull said he would call an election for July 2.

While this puts the Prime Minister firmly back in the driver’s seat and gives him space to have an election if he wants it, it could also blow up in his face if the Senate actually passes the new laws.

“He’s playing a high risk poker game, assuming that senators like Xenophon, Lazarus or Lambie might not vote for it,” Prof Wanna said.

“If all crossbenchers voted together they could pass it, then Turnbull will look silly.”

During his speech, Mr Turnbull said that if the Senate did pass the new laws, he would not call a double dissolution election, but the government still intended to bring forward the Budget.

The government would need the support of six of the eight crossbench senators to pass the bills.

If this happened, colleagues would have plenty of time to question Mr Turnbull’s judgment ahead of a “full term” election in September.

“When things start going wrong, people start to say your judgment is not good,” Prof Wanna said.

“There would be a lot of time for discussion about how he mismanaged the double dissolution.”

The chances of the laws passing appear slim as crossbench senators have reacted angrily to Mr Turnbull’s decision. But many face losing their seats if a double dissolution is called as it would involve all seats in the Senate being declared vacant.

If there is an election in September, only half the Senate will go to the polls and new senators such as Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir, will still have another three to four years in parliament.

So far Family First senator Bob Day is the only one to say he would back the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) bill.

Independent Nick Xenophon said he would support the bill with amendments.

Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm said he wanted a sunset clause on the ABCC bill and guarantees they would not breach the right to silence.

Palmer United Party senator Dio Wang told ABC radio he would be seeking to amend the ABCC bills, but had not yet decided how to vote.

Independent senator Glenn Lazarus said he remained opposed to the ABCC and instead wanted a national anti-corruption commission covering all areas of business, industry and government.

Victorian Senator John Madigan has not commented but has voted against the bill in the past. He also does not have as much to lose because he was already up for election this year.

Senator Jacqui Lambie and Ricky Muir have also not commented but have voted against the ABCC in the past.

PANIC MODE?

Mr Turnbull’s announcement coincided with a Newspoll published today that showed his approval rating as prime minister had fallen into negative territory for the first time, although voters still expected him to win this year’s election.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Turnbull was putting his own future ahead of Australia’s future.

“We have seen a Prime Minister in full panic mode,” he said.

“Australians are ready for this election, they are sick of incompetence.”

He also pointed out that the PM’s announcement seemed to have caught the Treasurer Scott Morrison by surprise.

“There can be no better demonstration at the chaos at the heat of this dysfunctional and divided government than the fact that the Treasurer of Australia thought that the Budget was going to be on a different day to his PM, only an hour earlier than when the PM told Australia of the new date.”

RELATED: What is a double dissolution?

The Prime Minister’s announcement came just one hour after Mr Morrison confirmed on Sydney radio that the Budget would be delivered as normal on May 10.

ULTIMATUM

Mr Turnbull said this morning that the Senate would be given three weeks to pass the two pieces of legislation or face a double-dissolution election.

“The time for playing games is over,” Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.

To ensure the Budget is passed and considered well before the start of an election campaign, Mr Turnbull announced the Budget would be brought forward to May 3. It would normally have been delivered on May 10.

Mr Turnbull said the Australian Building and Construction Commission Bills and the Registered Organisations Bill were very important economic reforms that had been blocked in the Senate.

Mr Turnbull said he made no apology for interrupting senators’ seven-week break to bring them back to deal with this legislation.

“This is an opportunity for the Senate to do its job of legislating rather than filibustering,” he said.

The Prime Minister has asked the Governor-General to recall both houses of parliament to deal with the bills.

Here's the PM's letter to the Governor-General, and the GG's response pic.twitter.com/HinLXDIOgD

— Adam Todd (@_AdamTodd) March 21, 2016

Both the PM and the Treasurer Scott Morrison have suggested that the ABCC is an important reform for the economy.

“We’re moving from the mining boom to a more diversified economy,” Mr Morrison said in a press conference following Mr Turnbull, noting that a million Australians work in construction.

“The construction sector is critical to a transitioning economy.”

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also pointed to the stagnation of productivity increase in the building industry since the ABCC was lost.

“It’s important to note that before that time, we had in excess of a 20 per cent increase in the productivity of that industry,” Mr Joyce said.

“It must be passed for those mum and dad contractors who want to make sure that they’re not stood over when they go on to sites,” he said.

“It must be brought back to the building program we have for our nation.”

WHAT IS THE ABCC?

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was an independent body to monitor and promote workplace relations in the building and construction industry that was axed in 2012.

Tony Abbott won a mandate at the 2013 election to bring it back but the Senate has essentially blocked this for nearly three years.

Corruption, violence and threats have been shown to exist in the building and construction industry by four different royal commissions over the past 40 years.

The most recent, from Dyson Heydon, concluded that there was “systemic” corruption and unlawful conduct, including corrupt payments, physical and verbal violence, threats, intimidation, abuse of right of entry permits, secondary boycotts, breaches of fiduciary duty.

The Bills were reintroduced in the first week of Parliament this year but Labor, Greens and crossbench voted in the Senate to send the Bills to a committee for another review.

“This was the fifth review the Bills have undergone,” Mr Turnbull said.

“The committee came to the same conclusion it had on the last time it considered them. Nothing new was raised or considered; it was just a delaying tactic.”

Mr Turnbull said the go-slows and obstruction by Labor and the Greens on the key legislation must end.

“The Senate will have an additional three sitting weeks to deal with the ABCC and registered organisations legislation. Plenty of time to pass these important laws.”

— With AAP