Australian PM takes bold gamble and sets in motion July election

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull set the stage for early elections on July 2, despite signs his personal popularity is sagging, by recalling parliament in the boldest gamble of his short leadership. Parliament will be recalled from its seven-week recess to sit on April 18, Turnbull said on Monday, to vote on labour reform bills that are likely to be blocked in the upper house Senate by smaller parties such as the influential Greens and the main centre-left opposition Labor Party. If the bills are blocked, the prime minister said he would go to the electorate – raising the prospect of a sixth different leader since 2010.

Mr. Turnbull has a plan for his re-election, he just doesn’t have a plan for Australia.

Labor Party leader Bill Shorten

“The time for playing games is over,” Turnbull said. "This is an opportunity for the Senate to do its job of legislating rather than filibustering. The go-slows and obstruction by Labor and the Greens on this key legislation must end,“ he said. The voting reforms passed by the Senate on Friday would make it harder for smaller parties to enter parliament through vote sharing deals. Turnbull argued that by eliminating these parties from parliament, he would be able to pass key economic reforms. On Monday, Family First Party Senator Bob Day launched a challenge to those reforms in Australia’s High Court, arguing they would disenfranchise voters.

Turnbull election