If I had been in their position I would have let it continue on and on, like they have, without giving my position on it until now. Now is the perfect time for them to make it an election issue.
It might be shelved for 12 months, it is still there waiting to be brought in, they can now make a big fuss about it on the big stage and make it an election issue.
Painting Labor as a censorship government like China's for an key issue would probably bring some votes their way