Turnbull Government handed July 2 double dissolution trigger as Senate rejects ABCC bill.

By political reporter Matthew Doran

Australia appears to be on a path for a July 2 double dissolution election, as the Senate again rejected the Government’s bill to re-establish the construction watchdog.

The Government lost the vote 36-34.

MPs and senators were recalled to Canberra three weeks early for an extraordinary sitting of Parliament to debate two pieces of industrial relations legislation.

The first of those bills, which seeks to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission, was reintroduced this morning.

It had already been voted down by the Senate once before and on Monday afternoon it was blocked again.

Last month, when announcing he had asked Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove to prorogue Parliament for the extraordinary sitting, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia would head to a double dissolution election on July 2 if the bill was blocked.

The second part of the Government’s suite of industrial relations legislation, the Registered Organisations bill, has already been blocked twice.

It is almost certain the Prime Minister would call the election after the federal budget is delivered on May 3.

Mr Turnbull must call a double dissolution election before May 12, otherwise it can only be a standard poll to elect the House of Representatives and half of the Senate.

The Government has said Parliament will continue sitting until it has also dealt with legislation to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.