Breaking: Malcolm Turnbull confirms double dissolution over ABCC

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has all but confirmed that Australians will go to the polls in a double dissolution election on July 2 after the Senate rejected legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission for a second time.

Turnbull says the Australian Building and Construction Committee reforms would be a “trigger for a double dissolution election”, which would allow the public to decide on whether the resurrection of the building industry watchdog was necessary.

The restoration of the ABCC is a “very important part” of his party’s economic plan, Turnbull says.

He told media it would be a “very good assumption” to expect that Australia would go to the polls on July 2, however stopped short of officially calling an election.

"I just want to be very clear that we are governing, we have a lot of decisions to make, not least of which is the [May 3] budget, the most important economic policy statement of the year," Turnbull was quoted in Fairfax Media.

The ABCC bill was voted down for second time 36-34 by the Senate on Monday night.

"My intention is after the budget, an appropriate time after the budget has been delivered, I will be asking the Governor-General to dissolve both houses of the parliament for an election which I expect to be held on July 2," Turnbull says.

"When we go to election, the Australian people will decide whether there should be an Australian Building and Construction Commission," he says.

"You see, a double dissolution election is about giving the people their say."