Labor has announced it will vote down rather than delay the bill reintroducing the Australian Building Construction Commission (ABCC), paving the way for a double-dissolution election.
On Thursday the Labor Senate leader, Penny Wong, addressed what Labor would do with the ABCC bill when parliament resumes on Monday.
“I want to make clear what Labor has decided: we will deal with these bills. We won’t be delaying, we will deal with these bills,” Wong said.
“If Malcolm Turnbull wants a double-dissolution election, we’re ready for an election. This election will be about jobs, health and education.”
Labor’s employment spokesman, Brendan O’Connor, said: “Some of the provisions within this bill would remove basic rights for tradies in the construction sector.
“So we don’t want to play around with this. We want this matter dealt with when we go back to Canberra. In the Senate we will put our position strongly and we are happy to vote on this.”
O’Connor said Labor was not scared of a double dissolution.
On 21 March Malcolm Turnbull announced the governor general would recall parliament on 18 April to deal with the ABCC and registered organisations commission bills. He warned if the Senate refused to pass the bills he would call a double-dissolution election for 2 July and fight it on economic management.
After the announcement, Labor and the Greens had considered how to derail the extra Senate sittings. The opposition parties and crossbench could have refused to debate the industrial relations bills, causing a standoff that could lead to a constitutional challenge if the prime minister pushed ahead with a double dissolution.
Wong and O’Connor have ruled out pursuing that option. If three of eight crossbench senators join Labor and the Greens to vote down the ABCC or registered organisations commission bills, Turnbull will have an unambiguous path to a double-dissolution election.
It also raises the prospect that a further three Senate sitting weeks from 18 April may not be required.
Three senators – John Madigan, Ricky Muir and Jacqui Lambie – have confirmed they will vote against the industrial relations bills. If each sticks with this position that would sink the bills.
However, since Turnbull threatened a double dissolution on 21 March, the Coalition has fallen behind Labor in Newspoll in two-party-preferred terms for the first time since he became prime minister.
