By announcing Bill Shorten’s departure from politics, Prime Minister Antony Albanese inadvertently hinted that he had completely closed the door on holding an election this year.
Albo said he had asked Shorten to remain as minister until February, when Shorten will begin his new job as vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra.
But that doesn’t mean that the elections will also be in February or March.
By-elections do not have to be held within a reasonable period after the call for a general election.
Albo would not have wanted Shorten to leave immediately because that would have required a by-election date to be set before the Prime Minister called the election.
By announcing Bill Shorten’s departure from politics, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has inadvertently hinted that he has completely closed the door on an election this year.
By twisting Shorten’s arm to keep him in office until the new year, Albo has avoided that scenario.
Even if he pushes the election back beyond February or March, the deadline is May and that is close enough for the Speaker to avoid setting a by-election date for Shorten’s electorate before the general election.
But the fact that Albo, as Labour leader, has practically begged his predecessor not to go now tells us that the idea of an election before the new year is no longer a possibility.