Senate could come back for early budget

The Senate president has been given the power to bring the upper house back for an early budget sitting.

But a successful last-minute amendment from Labor means the president will have to either get approval of party leaders or an absolute majority of senators to change the next sitting day from May 10, the scheduled date for the federal budget.

The government has given itself the option of bringing both houses back on May 3 to deliver an earlier budget and set itself up for a double-dissolution election in July.