Australian leader says he plans to call rare early election

[webfact]

Australian leader says he plans to call rare early election
By KRISTEN GELINEAU

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia's prime minister said on Tuesday he expects to call a rare early election, with the nation likely to head to the polls in July amid waning popularity for the ruling conservative party.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's comments all but confirmed that Australia was on track to hold its first early election — called a "double dissolution" because both the House of Representatives and the Senate are dissolved — since 1987.

Turnbull, whose administration is scheduled to deliver its first annual budget to Parliament on May 3, has until May 11 to officially announce an early election. He had previously said he would call for a double dissolution if the Senate failed to pass government legislation that would create a construction industry watchdog. The Senate rejected the bill for the second time on Monday, providing the trigger Turnbull had been waiting for.

"My intention is after the budget, at an appropriate time after the budget has been delivered, I will be asking the governor-general to dissolve both houses of the parliament for an election which I expect to be held on the second of July," Turnbull told reporters.

A typical election, in which the entire House of Representatives and half the Senate go to the polls, can be held any time from Aug. 6 until Jan. 14, 2017. A double dissolution can be called earlier to break a legislative deadlock after the Senate has twice rejected a bill passed by the House.

Turnbull's move comes shortly after an opinion poll showed the government trailing the opposition party for the first time since he took over as leader last year. The Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper earlier this month found that support for Turnbull's conservative coalition was behind the center-left Labor Party 49 percent to 51.

The poll was a blow to the ruling party's confidence as it prepares to campaign for a second three-year term in office. The coalition was lagging behind Labor in opinion polls for more than a year until Turnbull replaced the unpopular Tony Abbott as prime minister in September in a bid to boost the party's ratings.

The government did see an immediate boost in popularity under Turnbull, but the recent Newspoll shows his honeymoon with voters may be ending.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-19

[keith101]

he's crapped on about this for some time so he should just do it now and stop all the bullshit

[Nasrullah]

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia's prime minister said on Tuesday he expects to call a rare early election, with the nation likely to head to the polls in July amid waning

popularity for the ruling conservative party.

I stopped reading after this part.....waning popularity....yes!......and that's why he will win-because Bill 'i'm a snake in the grass' Shorten has no POPULARITY.....

[shirtless]

His only chance of winning before he has governed long enough for the population to experience the results.

[ballpoint]

Fair enough. There's a few people who haven't had a turn at being PM yet. Once everyone's had a go they can start giving the job to animals. Wombats and dingoes excepted, they've already spent enough time in parliament.

[up2u2]

The biggest threat to Turnbull is the Treasurer Morrison. He is preaching the far Right Wing austerity for the worker and tax breaks for the wealthy and Corporate Australia. While Corporations and the wealthy evade tax in offshore tax havens and suck the Treasury dry with Corporate welfare he runs the line that education, health care and social services have to be defunded so the wealthy and Corporations can launder more money out of the treasury.

If Morrison tries to sell a 2014 Abbott austerity budget next month while decreasing taxes on the wealthy and Corporations I think Turnbull can kiss the election goodbye. Anyway no way he will get the House and the Senate. He will still have a rogue Labor / Greens Senate to deal with.

[Rancid]

Well, nothing like hitting the polls early if your popularity is waning.

There again Oz has a similar two party system to the US & other western countries.

Conservatives pander to the 1%, and Labor to the Unions (and 1%). Both are big government and committed to a police state. Both are pro red tape to discourage small businesses. Both have the same foreign policy of bombing whoever the US tells them. Both pander to corrupt donors and tell lots of lies.

Elections are just entertainment for tv consumption, like wars. Matters little who wins, as its never the electorate.

[up2u2]

Well, nothing like hitting the polls early if your popularity is waning.

There again Oz has a similar two party system to the US & other western countries.

Conservatives pander to the 1%, and Labor to the Unions (and 1%). Both are big government and committed to a police state. Both are pro red tape to discourage small businesses. Both have the same foreign policy of bombing whoever the US tells them. Both pander to corrupt donors and tell lots of lies.

Elections are just entertainment for tv consumption, like wars. Matters little who wins, as its never the electorate.

Not accurate Liberal National Party (Conservative Right Wing and looney Far Right Wing) + Labor (Progressive Left Wing) + Greens (Environmentalist Far Left Wing) + currently 6 Cross Bench (Independent) holding the Balance of Power in the Senate. So very very different from UK or USA.

This election will come down to how much control the Looney Far Right (Abbott) nutters still have in the Liberal National Party Coalition. Too much and Turnbull loses and Shorten wins by default.

[Ulic]

Promises, promises.

[soc]

They are mostly liars & l don't like any of them.

lts a career for the mongrels.

Great pay & conditions & screw everyone else.

[bmanly]

Both are big government and committed to a police state.

Hardly, we don't even have National ID for our citizens here in OZ. You can walk around your whole life time and not carry a passport or anything. The joint is under Policed and if something goes wrong good luck with waiting for the quick response. Even if they do catch the crims they get let off most of the time due to the lenient laws.

A real Police state is where you are now in Thailand. A Junta in charge, can not say what you want, 90 day reporting for Aliens, carry passport at all times, can not write what you like on Social Media, Police arresting a farang male for not wearing a shirt.......etc. Now that's a real Police State.

[rethaier]

Then let's hope the sheep have enough intelligence to elect some independents for a change. Though I doubt they will. Australians, like Americans and the English, due to their lack of knowledge and apathy deserve what they get.

[Wasa]

He is appalling, a complete tosser. Stabbed the former leader tony abbott in the back and swept to power on the basis that the liberal party were declining under abbott in the polls and that they would not win the next election. Now just a few months later the honeymoon is over and they're in exactly the same position! He has completely failed to connect with the ordinary man in the street. Another appalling leader in a run of the most uninspiring leaders since hawke, keating and john howard. It really is demoralising the way things are there now. I have about given up hope.

[Cats4ever]

The double dissolution had to happen no later than July 2. They want the DD so that the "preference whisperer" arranged Senators and Clive Palmer's mob will no longer control the Senate. That is the hope anyway. Essentially both major parties are tightly controlled by factions and trade on the good will of the people who got them up and going in the first place. They are two gangs fighting over the territory. I actually have come to have some regard for a few of the senators from minor parties. Ricky Muir and Blocker Roche. Nick Xenophon is likely to do well. The senate voting will now be optional preferential.

[simple1]

The double dissolution had to happen no later than July 2. They want the DD so that the "preference whisperer" arranged Senators and Clive Palmer's mob will no longer control the Senate. That is the hope anyway. Essentially both major parties are tightly controlled by factions and trade on the good will of the people who got them up and going in the first place. They are two gangs fighting over the territory. I actually have come to have some regard for a few of the senators from minor parties. Ricky Muir and Blocker Roche. Nick Xenophon is likely to do well. The senate voting will now be optional preferential.

Ricky Muir got elected via preferences with just 0.51% of the electoral votes. He's now going down the path of supporting the importation of the Adler shotgun to attract voters. We have differing opinions, hope he lands on his arse.

[Cats4ever]

Simple One - just heard that and it does vary my opinion a little.

[VillageIdiot]

He is appalling, a complete tosser. Stabbed the former leader tony abbott in the back and swept to power on the basis that the liberal party were declining under abbott in the polls and that they would not win the next election. Now just a few months later the honeymoon is over and they're in exactly the same position! He has completely failed to connect with the ordinary man in the street. Another appalling leader in a run of the most uninspiring leaders since hawke, keating and john howard. It really is demoralising the way things are there now. I have about given up hope.

Gough Whitlam could be added to that embarrassing rat pack.

Hawke, Keating, and John Howard were heavyweights compared to the nonentities that followed them.