Oz Election Thread #4 - Gillard's Labor

Irrelevant views

STEVE Fielding, desperately clinging to his last shred of irrelevance, is threatening to vote against any ALP legislation in the Senate on the basis that the electorate rejected it at the election. No, soon-to-be ex-senator Fielding, only half the country did - that's why we now have a hung parliament.

Senator Fielding, the country overwhelmingly rejected the small-minded, uber-religious-right views of Family First. If you had any respect for voters, you would honour their wishes by resigning immediately and hand the casual vacancy to the senator that Victorians have chosen instead of you.

Stephen Mead, Rowville

Video: Clarke and Dawe play the waiting game
Source: 7.30 Report
Published: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:48 AEST
Expires: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 8:48 AEST

John Clarke and Bryan Dawe play their own waiting game.

Voters in independents' seats want Abbott, poll shows
Updated 1 hour 10 minutes ago

Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter are considering which side to support. (AAP: Mark Graham)

A new poll shows an overwhelming number of voters in the seats of the three rural independent MPs want them to support the Coalition.

Independent MPs Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter are expected to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament and have put a set of demands to the major parties as they consider which side to support.

The Newspoll published in The Weekend Australian newspaper shows the highest support for a Tony Abbott-led Coalition government is in Mr Katter's seat of Kennedy.

Fifty-six per cent of those surveyed in the north Queensland electorate prefer the Coalition, while 29 per cent support Labor.

Voters in Mr Windsor's New South Wales seat of New England favour a Coalition government by 55 per cent to 35 per cent, according to the poll.

The poll found the lowest level of Coalition support in the NSW seat of Lyne, held by Mr Oakeshott - there, 52 per cent prefer the Coalition and 38 per cent prefer Labor. ...<cont>

Anyone like to bet who the "Three Amigos " will side with regardless of their claims of being independent ?
All the bluff and posturing is good showmanship.
The reality, I suspect, is quite different.
Let's get it done and over with.

A new poll shows an overwhelming number of voters in the seats of the three rural independent MPs want them to support the Coalition.

I think that perhaps 73 seats beats 72. That will be the excuse the 3 Amoebas needed to keep things sweet at home. I think it's also why Abbott has being playing a bit more hardball than Gillard.

A LIBERAL MP has threatened the independents who will decide the next government, accusing them of holding the nation to ransom.

Independents may split to seal a deal
Josh Gordon
August 29, 2010/SMH

The three rural independents have not ruled out splitting from each other and negotiating separately to form government.

Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, both of NSW, and Queenslander Bob Katter have effectively been acting as a bloc to aid the negotiating process.

But Mr Windsor said it should not be assumed the arrangement would last. He said the three were acting in concert because they had common rural backgrounds and it was an efficient way of gathering information about policies and costings.

‘‘The three of us may or may not agree,’’ he said. ‘‘There is no three amigos in this. Anything could happen. Because we are the independents in the Parliament, we’ve been trying, based on the history of trust between us, to ask some of the same questions.’’

The tentative arrangement masks considerable division on key policies. Mr Katter categorises himself not as a climate sceptic but ‘‘anti’’ climate science, compared with Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott, who have expressed concern and believe in the ‘‘precautionary principle’’.

Mr Katter is strongly against Labor’s mining tax, Mr Windsor supports the broad principle of taxing mining profits rather than production while Mr Oakeshott believes the recommendations of the Henry review should be revisited.

Mr Katter is strongly in favour of offshore processing of unauthorised boat arrivals. Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott have expressed dismay about the negative way the issue was treated during the election.

The Sun-Herald understands Labor’s ‘‘best case’’ scenario would be to get the support of the three rural independents plus Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie.

That would give Labor 77 votes in the lower house, providing a one-seat buffer to increase the stability of Parliament.

But a senior source said in another possible scenario Labor could govern with the support of Mr Bandt and Mr Wilkie and two of the rural independents, most likely Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor.

The Coalition, which will almost certainly emerge with 73 seats (or 72, excluding the semi-independent West Australian National Tony Crook) would probably need support from all three of the rural independents, given that Mr Bandt has already said he will side with Labor and Mr Wilkie is more likely to side with Labor.

A senior Liberal MP may have placed in jeopardy the Coalition’s prospects of forming a minority government.

Long-time powerbroker Alby Schultz reportedly rang Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor and criticised them for holding the nation to ransom.

The apparent outburst prompted Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to issue an apology to the two independents.

A Coalition source last night confirmed the incident and said it was troubling for the party especially when the Coalition was keen to present a united and stable front.

Meanwhile, Labor is desperately trying to minimise recriminations about the election result to maximise the chances of forming a minority government.

So far there has been some criticism about the conduct of the campaign from such influential party figures as former NSW premier Morris Iemma, although it has been relatively muted.

But a senior Labor source warned if Labor ended up losing government, ‘‘it will be a bloodbath’’, with simmering anger particularly directed at party national secretary Karl Bitar.

Wilkie expecting action on list of concerns
Updated 19 minutes ago


Mr Wilkie says Ms Gillard was responsive to his concerns. (AAP: Joe Castro)

Independent candidate Andrew Wilkie has foreshadowed a Federal Government announcement about an assistance package for Tasmania's troubled forest industry.

The candidate for the Hobart-based seat of Denison met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Melbourne yesterday to discuss Labor's attempt to form a minority government.

He says he presented her with a list of 20 issues that are important to him, including a $20 million assistance package for forest contractors.

"She's well aware of the problems being experienced in the industry," he said.

"I explained to her my concerns, and she's committed to have the relevant minister take some action on it early in the coming week."

Also on the list were his concerns over the fate of the Royal Hobart Hospital and a betting limit on poker machines.

He says Ms Gillard was responsive and he will meet with her again on Monday afternoon.

"It was a good meeting, there was a good spirit there, spirit of cooperation," he said.

"I left the Prime Minister with a clear understanding that the issue of the hospital and the issue of poker machine reform are two of the issues on that list that I care most about." ...

So, at this point, my hunch is that Oakeshott & possibly Windsor will choose Labour ... along with Bandt (Greens) & possibly Wilkie.
Katter & possibly the new WA independent (forgotten his name, sorry) to the Liberals.
That would just give Labor the necessary 76 seats to govern.
That's what I call a tight result!

Mr Crook campaigned as an "independent voice" for regional WA and he vowed he would not sit in the Coalition party room.

He said during the campaign: "I will be a WA National, voting independently in the House of Representatives, assessing each policy and piece of legislation on its merits for regional WA."

The 50-year-old said he still stood by his position and made it clear the coalition cannot rely on his vote in trying to form government.

"Absolutely, not at all in fact," he said.

"If I do get elected I'm going to Canberra as a member of the WA Nationals. We have been exceptionally successful by being an independent political party and it's worked.

"It's made a real difference and I firmly believe the fed Nats should be the same."