A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks between the House of Representatives and the Senate. If the conditions are satisfied (called a trigger), the government of the day can request the Governor-General to dissolve both houses of parliament and call a full election. If after the election the legislation is still not passed by the two houses, then a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament can be called to vote on the legislation. If the legislation is passed by the joint sitting, then the legislation is deemed to have passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
A double dissolution is the only circumstance in which the entire Senate can be dissolved. Also, as a result of all seats being contested, a quota for a full Senate election in each Australian state is 7.69% (1+1/(12+1)), making it easier for smaller parties to obtain election to the Senate under the Senate proportional voting system. For a normal half-Senate election a quota is 14.28% (1+1/(6+1)).
Similar to the United States Congress, but unlike the United Kingdom and Canadian Parliaments, Australia's two parliamentary houses generally have equal legislative power. The only exception is that appropriation (money) bills must originate in the House of Representatives and cannot be amended by the Senate (although they may be rejected outright). With the Senate having more or less equal power, governments, which are formed in the House of Representatives, can be seriously frustrated by Senate majorities determined to reject their legislation. This can be the case even when a government has a very strong majority in the House of Representatives.
Read more about Double Dissolution: Trigger Event, Text - Constitution, Section 57, History, Summary
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