Australia Senate gives Rudd fresh election option

CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd secured a second early election trigger yesterday when a hostile upper house blocked health reforms, capping a fortnight of election-year turmoil and bad polls for his government.

In a further blow to Rudd's agenda, the Senate yesterday also delayed until May a final vote on his centerpiece carbon-trade scheme, which has already qualified as an election trigger after it was defeated twice in 2009.

"In Australia, support for the carbon pollution reduction scheme is dropping by the day. There is absolutely no rush at all," independent Senator Steve Fielding, who strongly opposes the scheme, told parliament.