By Paul Osborne and Belinda Merhab
The Senate is revolting.
Malcolm Turnbull's hopes of a smooth passage for changes to the way in which senators are elected were dashed on Tuesday.
The coalition has a deal with the Greens to allow voters at the next election to cast preferences above the line on Senate ballot papers and not have to fill out all the boxes below the line.
However, Labor and crossbenchers are opposed to the change, saying it will entrench the coalition in the upper house and give minor parties and independents little chance of ever again winning seats.
The government faced a barrage of motions to delay the start of the debate, but got its way just before 2pm on Tuesday.
Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party senator Ricky Muir's strategy was to call for a bill to bring back the building industry watchdog to be prioritised ahead of the voting bill.
"We're discussing self-interest ahead of what the government claims to be their most important legislation," he told parliament.
Crossbenchers had only rejected a handful of bills since the 2013 election, Senator Muir insisted.
Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm sought to target the Greens, asking the Senate to bring on the minor party's same-sex marriage legislation for debate this week.
It would be "perverse and undemocratic" for the Greens to avoid consideration of their own bill, he said.
Leader Richard Di Natale insisted there was no greater supporter of same-sex marriage in parliament than the Greens.
He challenged Labor to support bringing the bill on for debate and a vote on Thursday during the time allocated for private bills.
Labor agreed but labelled it a stunt, insisting a vote was unlikely.
But neither Labor or the Greens will be supporting a government bid to make the Senate sit from May 3, which would allow the budget to be brought forward a week.
Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters taxpayers would not be in favour of spending $5 million for a parliament sitting just because "Mr Turnbull has boxed himself into a corner".
The earlier budget would enable the government to get an interim budget bill through parliament, as well as put the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill to a vote and watch it fail - delivering a double-dissolution election trigger.
Mr Turnbull could then call an election the following week, probably for July 2.
The prime minister said it was critically important the Senate voting changes passed parliament this week.
"The only focus we have for the Senate's work is directed at ensuring that this parliament is more democratic, more transparent, more accountable," he told reporters in Canberra.
Independent senator Glenn Lazarus also tried to embarrass the government and the Greens by attempting to bring on the ABCC debate, as well as a Greens bill to allow landholders the right to refuse gas and coal mining on their land.
Labor Senate leader Penny Wong accused the government and Greens of prioritising their "dirty deal" on changes to Senate voting over their own core values.
The voting reform debate will take days, with 18 sheets of non-government amendments to be discussed.
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