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Building watchdog bill to be debated in May

Debate will resume on the Australian Building and Construction Commission laws in May, the government says.

Federal Minister for Women Senator Michaelia Cash
File image of Senator Michaelia Cash. Source: AAP

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Source: AAP


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Laws to reinstate the building industry watchdog will be the government's priority when the Senate returns in May.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash's office confirmed to AAP on Thursday the bills would come back before the Senate "at the earliest opportunity when the parliament comes back in May".

Earlier, Senator Cash told Sky News she wanted the bills to pass.

"We still have an opportunity to debate the ABCC."

The Senate has extended its hours to debate new voting rules, but will adjourn once those laws are passed rather than move on to other bills.

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Blocking of the ABCC bills for a second time would give the government another trigger for a double dissolution election.

The government already has two triggers, after the Senate twice blocked union anti-corruption laws and a bill to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

However, if Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants to hold a double dissolution election, he will have to call it by May 11.

The Senate is scheduled to return on May 10 when the federal budget has been set down for delivery.

Wilhelm Harnisch, chief executive of Master Builders Australia, told AAP the minister's commitment to bring back the bills for debate in May provided "confidence" to the industry.

"Master Builders will work with the government to do what it can to convince the crossbench senators to have the bill passed," he said on Thursday.

The organisation met with a number of crossbench senators over the past three weeks and received a "mixed response", Mr Harnisch said.

He said crossbenchers had been asked to look carefully at the findings of the Heydon royal commission into unions, as well as recent prosecutions and government statistics on days lost to industrial action.


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