Labor welcomes election battle on unis

Fight an election based on the future of universities? Yes please, says Labor.

Amid talk of turning plans to deregulate university fees into a double-dissolution trigger, opposition higher education spokesman Kim Carr says Labor would be delighted if the Abbott government opened up a fight on that front.

But he doubts the government "full of bombast and bluff and bluster" will actually return the higher education legislation to parliament for a third time.