"My main concern is the thousands of people who work in the construction industry where I come from. They just want the corruption to stop," Senator Day, a self-made millionaire, said.

"My colleagues have concerns about other sectors that need to be addressed as well. They want corruption stopped."

Breakthrough possible

He said he believed, after speaking to Mr Turnbull, that a breakthrough was possible because the government was prepared to consider the sector-specific measures.

"If there's a possible agreement, it's in everybody's best interests to consider it on its merits."

There could be similar watchdogs to the Building and Construction Commission in other industries or beefed-up powers for existing bodies, he said.

Last week Mr Turnbull, with the agreement of Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, invoked section five of the constitution to cancel Parliament's seven-week break. Both houses will be brought back three weeks early on April 18 and the budget brought forward a week to May 3.


Armed with new laws to stop micro parties gaming the Senate preference system to win seats with few votes, Mr Turnbull said the Senate would have three weeks to pass both bills or he would call a double-dissolution election for July 2. Under the new laws, the seven independents apart from Nick Xenophon would probably lose their seats.

If they pass the bills and there is a normal half-Senate election in the spring only John Madigan, whose term is due to expire, would be voted out. The other six – Jacqui Lambie, Senator Lazarus, Senator Day, David Leyonhjelm, Ricky Muir and Dio Wang – could serve their full terms until June 30, 2020.

Open to suggestions

A source close to the Prime Minister said it was unlikely the government would agree to a federal ICAC, per se, given the controversy surrounding the NSW ICAC, but he was open to reasonable suggestions, even minor amendments to the ABCC bill.

"Things that can enhance the spirit of the bill but not detract from it," he said. "We will negotiate in good faith. They have six weeks."

Senator Day said he did not speak for the other independent crossbenchers but as the designated point man he would seek to organise the negotiating bloc.

"The government wants to come to some agreement," he said.

As well as Senator Day, senators Wang, Xenophon, Muir and Leyonhjelm are considered potential supporters of the industrial relations bills in return for small changes.


This would leave the government needing one more vote from senators Lazarus, Lambie or Madigan.

Liberal strategists say Mr Turnbull is on a win-win trajectory. If the Senate blocks him he calls the double dissolution, presumably wins, wipes out the crossbench and passes the industrial relations bills anyway in a joint sitting of Parliament that follows the double dissolution.

Shown leadership

If the Senate relents, he has shown leadership to secure the passage of legislation regarded as important by the Coalition.

A double dissolution requires as a trigger a bill that has been blocked twice by the Senate at least three months apart. The ABCC bill has been blocked once and the registered organisations bill, which would set up a new trade union regulator, has been blocked twice.

But a double dissolution is not without risks. It must be called by May 11, meaning a long, seven-week campaign. Most polls have the Coalition just ahead of Labor and the fallout from last September's leadership move against Tony Abbott continues, with no sign of it abating.

Mr Abbott said at the weekend he reserved the right to campaign in marginal seats when invited. Increasingly, he has been publicly defending his legacy as he sees it, prompting concerns from Liberals inside and outside the Parliament that he could derail the campaign, as Kevin Rudd torpedoed Julia Gillard's campaign in 2010.