When the July 2 poll was put to Julie Bishop on Tuesday morning, just hours after the Senate rejected the ABCC bill as predicted, the Deputy Liberal leader did her best to avoid being definitive, even implying that other election dates remained open.
Other Coalition figures including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash also equivocated. The impression created was of ongoing discussion about whether or not the poll would be a double dissolution, or merely a regular half-Senate election in August or September.
This kind of thing - refusing to acknowledge the bleeding obvious - is common in politics but it absolutely infuriates voters. Everyone knew Malcolm Turnbull's words from March 21, when he had attracted praise for his stunning tactical manoeuvre over the crossbench: "If the Senate fails to pass these laws [ABCC and Registered Organisations), I will advise the Governor-General to dissolve both Houses of Parliament and issue writs for an election ... if we do proceed to a double dissolution, the election will be on Saturday the 2nd of July."
So why were Bishop and Co being so vague? Would the election be on July 2 or not? The truth is that the Senate's alacrity in rejecting the ABCC bill - and handing Turnbull the trigger he wanted - has thrust him into an awkward hollow. A fortnight of special Senate sittings had been arranged to expose the normal glacial nonsense from the crossbench, followed by the inevitable rejection of the bill. Ample proof of Senate intransigence laid out in daily news bulletins.
But the crossbench called his bluff by ditching the bill in a day and forcing Turnbull to tread water for two weeks.
Such alacrity is a doubled edged sword. Yes it has given Turnbull his trigger, but he cannot officially pull it until after the May 3, budget week - a date he already manipulated to make all of this work.
Just as Julia Gillard had done in February of 2013, Turnbull has named the date of the election even though he will not visit the Yarralumla to have the writs issued. And just like Gillard, he believes he can have days of governing before getting into days of campaigning. It didn't work for her, and already it isn't working for him.
But it explains why ministers were so keen to pretend the election campaign had not yet started.
