In the wet courtyards of Parliament House, workers were vacuuming up the autumn leaves.
The staff cafe was almost empty. The corridors virtually bare.
With Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten already on the hustings, all that was left of the 44th parliament on Monday was for it to be dissolved.
The official secretary to the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove arrived in the marble foyer just before 9am (AEST) alongside the clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The trio signed the proclamation for a double dissolution, citing industrial relations legislation which the Senate rejected twice.
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Watched on by a small group of parliamentary staff and media, Mark Fraser walked to the front of Parliament House read out the proclamation before placing it by the reflection pool.
And with a distinct lack of pomp, the 44th parliament - which has featured two prime ministers, a colourful crossbench and now a rare double dissolution - came to an end.
