Australia's Turnbull sets course for long election campaign

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday that the country would probably go to the polls on July 2, after parliament voted down a key labor reform bill, paving the way for an unusually long election campaign. Turnbull announced the measure a day after the Senate blocked his government's proposal to reinstate a building industry regulator. Sticking to a timetable that he flagged last month, Turnbull told reporters his conservative government will function as normal until May 3, when it will deliver its budget.

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