For those less familiar with how Federal politics functions in Australia, here is a rundown of the last week. Last Saturday saw the culmination of five weeks of campaigning in the 2010 Federal Election and the result was tie, so to speak. The Government will likely have 72 seats (in a 150 seat chamber), the Opposition 73. There will be three conservatively inclined rural independents, one urban Green, and one independent former Green. Consequently, neither of the major parties has a house majority and both parties will need to enlist the support of a grouping of the independents to form a government.
Sounds easy enough, don't you think. The Opposition form an alliance with their erstwhile conservative independent friends and bingo, we have a majority of 76. But wait. These three independents are former Nationals (who form the junior partner in the Opposition Coalition) and they just happen to detest their former party. Would they be prepared to help the Government stay in power? Well maybe. The independents have submitted a 7 point plan to both major parties as the first step in choosing a dance partner.
It's slightly crazy days indeed. One of the rural independents, Bob Katter, wants (amongst a raft of parochial and sometimes oddball policies) two new states in the north of Australia. Not asking much, is he? I think that we can safely say that, whoever is able to form a government (and perhaps no-one will )is likely to have a difficult time governing,and that's before we even survey the upper house, the Senate. The latter will have 9 Greens holding the balance of power by the middle of next year.
Watch this space.
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