Australia PM invites Senate showdown

CANBERRA: -- Australia will hold an early election if the country's Senate fails to pass laws aimed at curbing union corruption.

The government has introduced bills to re-establish a construction industry watchdog to the Senate five times.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has asked the Governor-General to recall both houses of parliament on 19 April to deal with the bills.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35858564


-- BBC 2016-03-21

Shame that the Prime Minister has to kowtow to a govenor who appointed by another country to rule over him. Some serious irony here.

The Senate is not the governor it is the elected upper house.

Shame that the Prime Minister has to kowtow to a govenor who appointed by another country to rule over him. Some serious irony here.

Yeah and if Australia was a republic they would just have suck lemons and be stuck with the rogue senate. Better the devil you know, I mean what ,Pres Turnbull, now that would work well.

The Senate is not the governor it is the elected upper house.

Elected by preferences and need less than 1% of real votes, even a donkey could get up. Oh wait...............................

Shame that the Prime Minister has to kowtow to a govenor who appointed by another country to rule over him. Some serious irony here.

Yeah and if Australia was a republic they would just have suck lemons and be stuck with the rogue senate. Better the devil you know, I mean what ,Pres Turnbull, now that would work well.

Possibly, but USA has "rogue" elements - President, congress and senate - split between 2 parties -- and they manage -- -- just

Shame that the Prime Minister has to kowtow to a govenor who appointed by another country to rule over him. Some serious irony here.

I hate to burst your bubble, but whist the Australian monarch appoints the governor, it is the PRIME MINISTERS RESPONSIBILITY to nominate the governor, then he/she is appointed on that advise, and once appointed almost always acts on advice from the PM.

Also, the monarch can dismiss the governor, again, by convention, ONLY ON ADVICE from the PM

So as the Australian government CONTROLS who is appointed, and for what period (usually five years), I fail to see any irony, and note, his role in this matter is simply to "RUBBER STAMP" the PM's wish, as in reality, he is little more than a glove puppet of the government

Therefore it's hardly kowtowing... And for further information, the current Governor General is the retired Australian army general Sir Peter Cosgrove, so his allegiance to Australia is undeniable, and whilst maintaining POLITICAL NEUTRALITY, be assured that he will always act in the interests of Australia.

If you were trolling... Well done... You got me

Yeah and if Australia was a republic they would just have suck lemons and be stuck with the rogue senate. Better the devil you know, I mean what ,Pres Turnbull, now that would work well.

I'm pretty sure that if/ when Australia becomes a republic, they will include constitutional measures to control a political deadlock..... After all, we are capable of learning from others mistakes... But at the moment, Australia chooses to belong to the commonwealth, and use its current political system, which is based on the British model

For example, one such measure to break a deadlock might be to hold a public referendum, and though a pain in the ass, it beats sucking lemons

Shame that the Prime Minister has to kowtow to a govenor who appointed by another country to rule over him. Some serious irony here.

I hate to burst your bubble, but whist the Australian monarch appoints the governor, it is the PRIME MINISTERS RESPONSIBILITY to nominate the governor, then he/she is appointed on that advise, and once appointed almost always acts on advice from the PM.

Also, the monarch can dismiss the governor, again, by convention, ONLY ON ADVICE from the PM

So as the Australian government CONTROLS who is appointed, and for what period (usually five years), I fail to see any irony, and note, his role in this matter is simply to "RUBBER STAMP" the PM's wish, as in reality, he is little more than a glove puppet of the government

Therefore it's hardly kowtowing... And for further information, the current Governor General is the retired Australian army general Sir Peter Cosgrove, so his allegiance to Australia is undeniable, and whilst maintaining POLITICAL NEUTRALITY, be assured that he will always act in the interests of Australia.

If you were trolling... Well done... You got me

Actually I wasn't trolling - but I hadn't done enough homework before posting. Thanks for the clear explanation