The issue of when caretaker conventions apply has been something of a concern in recent Commonwealth elections. Closer examination of arrangements governing commencement of the conventions suggests that the time period elapsed between the announcement of the election and the issuing of the writs to dissolve the House of Representatives has actually decreased in recent years. Our more adversarial politics and the emergence of the ‘permanent campaign’ mode of contemporary politics may account for persistent uncertainty over what governments might do and when. Four year fixed terms have addressed some of the ‘gamesmanship’ in which governments might engage immediately prior to the calling of an election. For jurisdictions like New Zealand, where election results can take some time to resolve, the issue of caretaker conventions in the post-election period has been more of an issue. Guidance documents have evolved to address the specific concerns of individual jurisdictions.