Section 5 of the Constitution of Australia
[1] Prorogation clears all business pending before Parliament and allows the houses to be called back on a particular date without triggering an election.First session The Parliament shall be summoned to meet not later than six months after the establishment of the Commonwealth.Between 1961 and the turn of the century, prorogations only occurred three times – in 1968 to allow a new ministry to be formed following the death of Harold Holt, and in 1974 and 1977 to allow Queen Elizabeth II to officially open a new session of Parliament.[2] Since 1990, it has been the practice for the Parliament to be prorogued on the same day that the House is dissolved so that the Senate will not be able to sit during the election period.[5] This forced the Senate (in which the government lacked a majority) to reconvene and consider legislation that could serve as triggers for a double dissolution before the 2016 Australian federal election, which otherwise may not have been considered before that election.