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Crossbench bloc 'too silly for words'

David Leyonhjelm says it's 'too silly for words' for the government to demand six of the eight crossbench senators work together to pass the ABCC bill.

Crossbench Senator David Leyonhjelm is seen during a debate at the National Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
Crossbench Senator David Leyonhjelm is seen during a debate at the National Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday, April 6, 2016. Source: AAP

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Source: AAP


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Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm won't bow to federal government pressure and "shop" his proposed changes to legislation restoring the building watchdog to crossbench colleagues.

Senator Leyonhjelm wants a sunset clause added to the Australian Building and Construction commission legislation, which he said the government had previously agreed to.

"But apparently now I'm expected to shop it around my crossbench colleagues and get six votes for it. As if," he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

"The idea that (we) should work as a group, like a party with an agreed platform is just too silly for words."

The government maintains any crossbench changes to the ABCC legislation must be presented as a bloc of six and be consistent with its intention.

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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has recalled parliament from April 18 to consider the ABCC bill before his government delivers its budget.

If the bills aren't passed, voters will go to a double-dissolution election on July 2.

Senator Leyonhjelm believes the ABCC might not even get to a vote because most of the crossbench would support a likely Labor motion to adjourn the Senate until the budget on May 3.

"There's no point hanging around if the end result is obvious," he said.

"And frankly, I don't believe the prime minister will care."

Fellow crossbencher Glenn Lazarus won't support the bill unless the ABCC is expanded to a national corruption body - something Mr Turnbull has ruled out.

The crossbenchers have a personal interest in the outcome, with recent changes to Senate voting making it more difficult for micro-party candidates to win seats.

But Senator Leyonhjelm said a double-dissolution election was not a particularly unattractive option for a number of them.

Independent Nick Xenophon doesn't believe voters care if the government goes to a double-dissolution election or one later in the year.

"They are tired of the same old stale confrontational politics that we've seen so often in recent years," he said.


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