The Greens party claimed it had received advice from the Clerk of the Senate which indicated a first double dissolution trigger could be achieved before the new Senate took its place on July 1, by bringing on a second vote on the repeal of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).
Senator Milne will move to guarantee a vote on the CEFC repeal bill before the new Senate comes. The bill will be defeated again and therefore set up a double dissolution trigger.
“The Greens are ready for an election over the Prime Minister's global warming denial and his brutal budget,” Senator Milne said.
“If the Prime Minister refuses to follow through on his threats for a new election, the unpopularity of his brutal budget and global warming policy sham will be fully exposed once and for all.
“It's clear Tony Abbott does not have the skills to negotiate with the cross bench in the Senate – huge parts of his agenda will be blocked.”
The Greens would not compromise on its core values to simply allow the Prime Minister to retain a “stable government”, according to Milne.
“We expect either a new election if the Prime Minister has the ticker for it, or a completely lame government, shackled by a Prime Minister incapable of dealing with the hand he has been dealt with in the Senate.
“As the Prime Minister's agenda grinds to a halt in the Senate, the Greens will refocus efforts on grassroots campaigning on the threat of global warming and against the cruelty of Abbott's agenda as we prepare for an early election.”