PM gives empty threat of double dissolution election

A double dissolution election has been threatened by the Prime Minister if the federal government fails to break political deadlocks on housing, climate and manufacturing, but election analysts say there is not enough time to trigger the special election.

A double dissolution occurs when there is a deadlock between the Senate and House of Representatives on a proposed law, and allows for both houses of parliament to be dissolved. It doesn’t make much difference for the House of Representatives, for which an election can be called any day, but it would see all 76 Senators up for immediate election, so electing twelve Senators rather than six, with the new Senators taking their seats when parliament resumes rather than next July.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put pressure on parliament to pass two signature housing reforms, a separate environment law overhaul and its Future Made in Australia bill – all of which have been met with fierce resistance from the Coalition and Greens.

Mr Albanese insists the laws do not need amendments because other political parties agree with the objectives of the legislation and support their frameworks.

So if the Greens and coalition do not break the stalemates, he has indicated he may turn to the nuclear option: a double dissolution.

“We’ll wait and see,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“The way to avoid a (double dissolution) is for the coalition and the Greens to vote for legislation that they support.

“We’re always open to sensible discussions… but what we won’t do is undermine our own legislation with amendments when it stands on its merits.”

Talks of a double dissolution arose after the government’s $10 billion housing fund was blocked by the Greens – but the bill later passed. other bills including their Help to Buy scheme are still being blocked.

However, there is some doubt that the threat is real, given a Double Dissolution can only be called no less than six months before the expiry of the House of Representatives, which in this case would be January 25. In order to set up the double dissolution trigger the bills would need to fail this week, and then be reintroduced and blocked again in a minimum three months time. So, the parliament would need to be recalled some time between December 17 and mid January for the bills to pass the House but be blocked in the Senate again, in order for Anthony Albanese to call a double dissolution before Australia day, for an election in early March.

In more simple terms: there isn’t really enough time.

ABC election analyst Antony Green was quick to call out the impracticability of the idea.

The last time there was a double dissolution was in 2016 when Malcolm Turnbull used the trigger, technically to push through some industrial relations bills, but the real motivation appeared to be a desire to get a more friendly Senate. The move backfired, with the Coalition winning with the slimmest majority of one seat, and a greatly enlarged cross bench in the Senate to contend with, including the return of Pauline Hanson.