After a marathon debate the Senate has passed the government’s comprehensive rewriting of the upper house voting system, designed to limit the prospect of “micro” players being elected.
What this election will really be about for Malcolm Turnbull is the size of his post-election majority.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
What might be Malcolm Turnbull’s worst nightmare, apart from losing the election? Scraping back as a minority government, with Tony Windsor in balance of power.
Ricky Muir from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party this week made an unsuccessful last roll of the dice to try to delay the government's Senate voting reform legislation.
Labor will not support moves to recall the Senate but Bill Shorten reaffirmed that Labor would not block supply.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said Labor would not support an early recall of the Senate, further complicating the situation if the government wants to call a double dissolution.
One only has to know Malcolm Turnbull’s nature to understand his deep frustration at the government’s internal dissent.
Ben MacMahon/AAP
The momentum for a July 2 double dissolution has accelerated with Malcolm Turnbull opening the way to bring the May 10 budget forward by a week. “The budget will be in May,” he said on Tuesday, as he prepared…
It has been a week of political contests, both within party lines and across them. Stephen Parker and Michelle Grattan take a look at the bitter rivalry between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott.
Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison often seem in different places, and not just on tax options.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Politics has its own purgatory, as Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott might have reflected when they sat on the same table at the Howard government’s 20th anniversary dinner on Wednesday.
Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann has announced that the Senate voting reforms will include a provision for optional preferential voting below the line.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The government is making a major change to its legislation to reform the Senate voting system after a recommendation from a brief parliamentary inquiry.
South Australian Greens’ rank and file are set to decide the order on a double dissolution ticket.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Greens’ agreement to Senate voting changes has sparked a potential preselection battle between the party’s two South Australian senators.
Malcolm Turnbull and Kelly O'Dwyer this week made contradictory comments about the effects of implementing Labor’s capital gains tax reforms.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Turnbull government desperately needs a circuit breaker. It is in an appalling mess over tax policy and it can’t afford to wait until the budget to have it sorted out.
Family First senator Bob Day is one of eight crossbenchers who would face an election in the event of a double dissolution.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Family First senator Bob Day is set to propose an amendment to the legislation changing the Senate voting system that would prevent the government using the new rules in a double dissolution.
Malcolm Turnbull and Mathias Cormann have announced changes to the Senate voting system.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Malcolm Turnbull is fond of saying that we need to be less risk averse. Now the question is whether he will follow his own advice. He is waving around the possibility of a double dissolution in early July…
Malcolm Turnbull must wait for Nationals leader Warren Truss to decide his future before announcing a ministerial reshuffle.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Stephen Parker and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the recent chatter of a double dissolution, what would happen to crossbenchers if it did happen and three Nationals crossing the floor in the Senate.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott desperately needs to be projecting an air of stability.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
One government man has an interesting theory on why Tony Abbott mightn’t mind talk of a double dissolution election. The PM finds governing very hard – and would love to be back on the campaign trail.
Environment minister Greg Hunt and prime minister Tiny Abbott are keen to repeal the carbon tax as soon as parliament sits - but it may prove harder than they thought.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The Coalition will introduce its draft bill to repeal the Clean Energy Act into parliament next week. The bill would effectively remove the current carbon tax and its planned replacement, an emissions…
What are the constitutional and political issues for Tony Abbott to consider around double dissolution elections?
AAP/Alan Porritt
Prime minister Tony Abbott has indicated (again) that he is willing to set in motion the procedures necessary to call a double dissolution election, in order to force the repeal of the carbon tax through…