Rethinking caretaker conventions for Australian governments

Australia has well-established conventions for caretaker governments. These conventions regulate how a government should operate once an election is c alled, and have been documented for some decades. Yet the current conventio ns date from an era when elections usually produced clear and immediate res ults. Can our caretaker conventions cope with the emerging reality of indec isive elections and long delays before a new government is confirmed? This paper canvasses the state of Australia's caretaker conventions and offers s uggestions for an expanded, contemporary code.