Double dissolution. Those two alliterative words have captured the attention of Australia’s politicians and punters after the Albanese government left the door ajar on the parliament-shaking option.
On Tuesday, Anthony Albanese was asked whether he would consider sending Australians to the polls in a few months in order to re-elect a whole new upper and lower house.
While Gough Whitlam’s double dissolution in 1974 might be the most common fodder in pub trivia quizzes, it has occurred six other times in Australian history, including as recently as 2016 under Malcolm Turnbull.
So what does it mean, and what happens now?
What is a double dissolution?
A double dissolution is when the governor general – usually on the advice of the prime minister – dissolves both houses of parliament in preparation for an election.
It happens when a bill passes the House of Representatives – which the government in power almost always has a majority in – but fails to pass the Senate twice. Three months must elapse between the two attempts in the Senate.
Once that occurs, a door opens for the prime minister. They can recommend to the governor general that a double dissolution take place. That means every single seat in the House of Representatives and the Senate is up for re-election.
That’s different to a federal election, when just half of the senators are up for re-election along with all politicians in the House of Representatives.
However, a double dissolution can only take place six months or more before the expiry date for the House of Representatives (Friday 25 July 2025).
Why is the Albanese government not ruling one out?
In two words: the Senate.
While Labor controls the House of Representatives, the balance of power is held by the crossbench and Greens in the Senate. It means Labor either needs to win over the Coalition to pass legislation, or negotiate with the 11 Greens senators and others sitting on the crossbench to get the majority.
So far, the situation in the Senate has required Labor to negotiate with the opposition, the minor parties or crossbench “kingmakers” to get bills through.
Has a double dissolution ever happened before?
A double dissolution has happened seven times – in 1914, 1951, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1987 and most recently in 2016 under Malcolm Turnbull.
