By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, March 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Friday he would not accept upper house Senate changes to key employment laws promised by his government, extending a gridlock that could prompt early elections.
The opposition-dominated Senate early on Friday morning passed the centre-left government's Fair Work Bill in a reduced form, which would limit the impact of unfair dismissal rules promised by Rudd after his 2007 election victory.
The setback is the latest for the government, which controls the country's lower house but needs the support of the opposition conservatives, or the backing of all Greens and both independents to pass laws through the upper house.
A planned alcohol tax was defeated this week and Senate opponents are also threatening to block legislation setting up a carbon emissions trading scheme. As the gridlock has intensified talk of early elections has swelled.
Rudd said he would not accept Senate changes which would remove 500,000 workers from the safety net of unfair dismissal laws, promising the amendments would be rejected by the lower house.
'I would expect the Australia parliament to respect the will of the Australia people, who voted absolutely clearly at the last election,' he told state radio.
'It's quite clear that the government has a mandate that would provide proper protection from unfair dismissal for Australian workers,' Rudd said.
Asked if the work laws would be returned to the Senate for a second vote which could hand Rudd a trigger for early elections, Rudd said: 'our intention is to do exactly that'.
'I believe that in a global economic crisis, where you have a global recession and people are concerned legitimately about their jobs because of that, what the Australian people expect is for their government to provide proper protection,' he said.
The next scheduled election is in late 2010.
Opponents of the government want the unfair dismissal laws limited to small firms with the equivalent of 20 full-time staff, rather than 15 as sought by the government.
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown warned the conservatives and both independents that if they insisted on their changes, they risked Rudd calling another poll, possibly later this year.
'Accept the judgement of the people in 2007 or face the ire of the people in 2009,' Brown said.
(Editing by Jonathan Standing) Keywords: AUSTRALIA POLITICS/ (rob.taylor@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: rob.taylor.reuters.com@reuters.net, +612 6273 3700) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
CANBERRA, March 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Friday he would not accept upper house Senate changes to key employment laws promised by his government, extending a gridlock that could prompt early elections.
The opposition-dominated Senate early on Friday morning passed the centre-left government's Fair Work Bill in a reduced form, which would limit the impact of unfair dismissal rules promised by Rudd after his 2007 election victory.
The setback is the latest for the government, which controls the country's lower house but needs the support of the opposition conservatives, or the backing of all Greens and both independents to pass laws through the upper house.
A planned alcohol tax was defeated this week and Senate opponents are also threatening to block legislation setting up a carbon emissions trading scheme. As the gridlock has intensified talk of early elections has swelled.
Rudd said he would not accept Senate changes which would remove 500,000 workers from the safety net of unfair dismissal laws, promising the amendments would be rejected by the lower house.
'I would expect the Australia parliament to respect the will of the Australia people, who voted absolutely clearly at the last election,' he told state radio.
'It's quite clear that the government has a mandate that would provide proper protection from unfair dismissal for Australian workers,' Rudd said.
Asked if the work laws would be returned to the Senate for a second vote which could hand Rudd a trigger for early elections, Rudd said: 'our intention is to do exactly that'.
'I believe that in a global economic crisis, where you have a global recession and people are concerned legitimately about their jobs because of that, what the Australian people expect is for their government to provide proper protection,' he said.
The next scheduled election is in late 2010.
Opponents of the government want the unfair dismissal laws limited to small firms with the equivalent of 20 full-time staff, rather than 15 as sought by the government.
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown warned the conservatives and both independents that if they insisted on their changes, they risked Rudd calling another poll, possibly later this year.
'Accept the judgement of the people in 2007 or face the ire of the people in 2009,' Brown said.
(Editing by Jonathan Standing) Keywords: AUSTRALIA POLITICS/ (rob.taylor@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: rob.taylor.reuters.com@reuters.net, +612 6273 3700) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.