Senior government figures have poured cold water on reports Tony Abbott and members of his cabinet have canvassed the prospect of an early double-dissolution election.

But Labor and the Greens have dared the prime minister to “bring it on”.

The scenario, reportedly raised at a dinner on Monday, is the government would bring down its second budget in May then call a double-dissolution election, primarily to clear an obstructionist Senate.

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Mr Abbott told his party room on Tuesday the Senate was “feral”, hours before the upper house rejected for the second time the government’s legislation to deregulate university fees.

Cabinet minister Barnaby Joyce played down the reports, saying it would be lunacy to bring on an early poll.

“If we find it difficult to deal with eight (crossbench) senators, how will we go with 16?” he told Sky News.

Leading election analyst Antony Green agreed with Mr Joyce’s assessment of what a double-dissolution election might produce.

The quota needed to win an upper house seat would be halved, potentially doubling the crossbench, he said.

Labor’s Tony Burke said it was wrong to presume Mr Abbott would act rationally.

“I challenge anyone to find evidence of that,” he said.

“If he wants to call an election, bring it on.”

Greens leader Christine Milne. Photo: AAP

Greens leader Christine Milne had the same message, saying many Australians would love the chance to cast a vote on the Abbott government and its bad policies.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon questioned Mr Abbott’s motives, saying talk of an early 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 told reporters in Canberra.

Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm warned the government would lose an early poll.

“They’d need rocks in their head to call a double dissolution now,” he told reporters.

Labor backbencher Laurie Ferguson suggested Mr Abbott’s “thought bubble” had nothing to with the government’s problems with the Senate.

“(It had) much to do with Turnbull & Bishop coming up the road with their clubs,” he tweeted.

But Liberal senator Chris Back insisted the government had to look at every option so it could govern.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I think the Australian people actually want us to get on with our job,” he said.

Nationals MP Andrew Broad said Australians expected senators to act responsibly.

“The Senate is a house of review, not a house of no,” he said.