- The upper house of the Australian parliament has rejected the Abbott government’s legislation to abolish the carbon tax (introduced under the previous government)
- Labor and the Australian Greens used their combined numbers defeat the bills 33 votes to 29
- The government has been trying to pass the carbon tax repeal bills since December
- It will be three months before the government can bring the legislation before parliament again
- A different outcome is unlikely, though, until new senators come into the house in July
- If the legislation was to fail again, it would provide a trigger for a double dissolution election
- The government is likely now to wait until July, when the bills are likely to pass, unless the PM wants to trigger an early election
Australian PM Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey: “Pinstriped suit and a checked shirt? WTF are you thinking, Joe?”
