Save The Date: PM Turnbull Says Expect An Election On July 2

Dust off your voting cloaks: Australians are heading to the polls on July 2. Probably.

(NB: ‘Voting cloaks’ may not necessarily be a thing, but don’t you think they would make the whole process so much more elegant?)

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has all but confirmed a July 2 election, saying in a press conference that it is a “very good assumption” to expect a vote on that day. He has not, however, officially called an election or confirmed the date, as ABC News notes.

"My intention is after the budget, an appropriate time after the budget has been delivered, I will be asking the Governor-General to dissolve both houses of the parliament for an election which I expect to be held on July 2," he said.

How'd we get here? Well...

Yesterday, the Senate rejected Turnbull's proposed Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) reforms for the second time, after being called back to Parliament for a special, three-week sitting. (They did so after just one day.)

The PM had previously said that if the Senate was unable to pass the reforms, a double dissolution election would be triggered. The Senate called his bluff.

(FYI, a double dissolution is called when there’s a deadlock between the House of Representatives and the Senate. It’s a risky attempt to shake-up each house in a manner that would hopefully help the Government pass disputed legislation. Basically, it’s the political equivalent of Boggle.)

"When we go to election, the Australian people will decide whether there should be an Australian Building and Construction Commission," Turnbull added.

"You see, a double dissolution election is about giving the people their say."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten spoke shortly after Prime Minister Turnbull’s announcement, saying, “Labor is ready for this election.”

So begins a lengthy 75-day election campaign. Hold onto your cloaks.

As we wrote last month, here's why the 2016 election matters (and you should enrol to vote).

Photo: ABC.