11.0 Caretaker arrangements

By accepted convention, the government assumes a ‘caretaker’ role in the period immediately before an election and special arrangements apply to the operation of government. Every election carries the possibility of a change of government, and decisions that bind the incoming government are not normally made during this caretaker period.

Elections are held in Queensland every four years on the last Saturday in October, unless the Legislative Assembly has been otherwise dissolved under the Constitution. Under Part 2A of the Constitution, the Governor is to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and issue the writ 26 days before the polling day.

The ‘caretaker period’ begins at the time the Legislative Assembly is dissolved and concludes when the election result is clear if the government is to be returned to office, or if there is to be a change of government, when the new government is sworn in by the Governor.

The Guidelines on the Caretaker Conventions (PDF, 310KB) is the Queensland Government guidance on caretaker matters.