Scott Morrison's unprompted assurance to the party room on Tuesday that he intends to see out the full term does not rule out entirely the prospect of an early election. It just means there would have to be a compelling reason for going early.

The last federal election was only in May last year. The next election does not need to be held until August 2022, at the very latest. In reality, May 2022 would be the latest the government would go, given the need to keep the Senate aligned with the House of Representatives.