I promised three years: Abbott

Tony Abbott insists his government will run full term, heading off speculation of an early double-dissolution election.

Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm said Education Minister Christopher Pyne had spoken to him about the idea of the full Senate and lower house going to the polls early.

The government already has a double-dissolution trigger relating to twice-defeated climate legislation.

But Mr Pyne raised the prospect in the context of his higher education bill, defeated in the Senate his week and which he intends to bring back later in the year unamended.

The double-dissolution election option is also understood to have been discussed informally by senior Liberal MPs in recent weeks.

The prime minister told parliament he had promised voters he would run full term.

"This is a government which was elected by the Australian people to work hard for them, for three years, and that is exactly what we will do," he said.

Seizing on the election speculation, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten opened question time on Thursday asking the prime minister: "Will he take his plans for $100,000 degrees to the next election ... whenever it is?"

Senator Leyonhjelm said Mr Pyne had made it plain that he was contemplating bringing his higher education bill back unchanged, and that if it failed again it would provide a double-dissolution trigger.

Mr Shorten unsuccessfully attempted to move a motion in parliament condemning the prime minister for leading a "chaotic and incompetent government" and having no economic plan for Australia.

"Tony Abbott is the captain chaos of Australian politics," he said.

However, with an eye to a possible future Liberal leadership change, Mr Shorten added: "This is not a captain's pick to dump everything they believe or to try and save their job - it's a team vote."

Mr Abbott said he welcomed a debate on economic management because his pitch was simple.

"We want to get taxes down, we want to get regulation down, we want to get connectivity up, we want to get participation up."

Labor instead was all "one long complaint".

Senator Leyonhjelm said it was clear a double-dissolution was being contemplated by the government because the Senate is frustrating its budget plans.

Mr Abbott told his party room on Tuesday the Senate was "feral", hours before the upper house rejected for a second time government legislation deregulating university fees.

Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie, who quit the Palmer United Party in November, said the government should "bring it on".

"I think I would probably get another couple up in Tassie," she said, adding that she was considering standing aligned candidates in other states.

Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce said a double-dissolution election would be lunacy.

"If we find it difficult to deal with eight (crossbench) senators, how will we go with 16?" he said.

Under a double-dissolution election, the quota of votes needed to win a Senate seat is halved from that of the usual half-Senate poll.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon questioned Mr Abbott's motives, saying talk of an early double-dissolution election could be a threat to his own restless backbench.

"I'm not quite sure whether it's crazy brave talk from the prime minister or just crazy, crazy talk from the prime minister," he said.