Senate votes down ABCC bill

Legislation to restore the building industry watchdog has been defeated, handing the federal government a double dissolution election trigger.

The bills were defeated 36-34 in the Senate on Monday night, with crossbenchers Jacqui Lambie, Glenn Lazarus, Ricky Muir and John Madigan siding with Labor and the Greens.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has vowed to use a second rejection of the bills as a trigger for a double-dissolution election on July 2.