Well, that was quite an election night, wasn’t it? We nearly melted the server with a huge spike in traffic coming to read and share and vent. I was at an election party where Julie Gillard impersonator Amanda Bishop (watch her genius here) turned up after a gig as Julia – in full character.
Was quite surreal but oddly appropriate to be sitting there posting and tweeting and watching the coverage with Julia herself.
Quite the night.
MM’s political editor Juile Cowdroy did a sterling job of keeping us updated with spin-free, sensible information throughout the night, heroically assisted by a flu-ridden site manager Lana from the sanctuary of her couch. Here’s what you need to know now that it’s over – because actually, it’s not over.
In many ways, a whole new campaign has just begun and Julie will be keeping this post updated so check back over the next hours and days for regular updates……
This is the infamous stoush between Michael Kroger and Wayne Swann on Channel 9. Fast forward to 1.21
“Australia has woken up to a hung parliament. This means that neither of the major parties have won the majority of votes needed to govern.
We have seen an expansion of the crossbench (where MPs sit who are not from the major parties). Tony Windsor (NSW), Rob Oakeshott (NSW) and Bob Katter (QLD) have retained their seats, while a new independent, Andrew WIlkie (Tas) is likely to win a seat in Tasmania. Adam Bandt (Vic)is the first Greens MP to be elected to the House of Representatives in a general election.
These five dudes are pretty powerful today.
This larger crossbench is a contributor to the hung parliament.
What does a hung parliament mean?
A hung parliament is where there is no majority. If this happened in Australia, it means the independents and Greens member would hold the balance of power. There are three options. 1. Coalition government is formed. 2. A minority government is formed. This is where concessions/negotiations are made on every decision including who the leader would be (currently the haps in the UK). 3. A dissolution of parliament and another election. GOD HELP US ALL.
Are there any other countries in this situation? Adam Bennett has a fabulous breakdown in the SMH about the many hung parliaments and minority governments around the world. They are actually more common than you think. Click on the link
How does a hung parliament really affect our day to day life after the election?
Well it depends what we do with the result of a hung parliament (dissolve parliament and have another election, coalition government formed or minority government).
If a minority government is formed, it means that a leader would have to be decided. In the UK, David Cameron became leader because the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party agreed he should be as the Conservatives (Tories) gained most votes. Once a leader is decided, as each piece of legislation is introduced, there are more concessions/negotiations that occur in order to pass bills in the lower house.The economy is affected as it is harder to predict what policies will be implemented.
Does this mean our economy is going to grind to a halt
I wouldn’t say grind to a halt, but the leadership uncertainty is not great for the economy. The economy is all about confidence. This is why there is often large investment into stable predictable countries. If Australia has a minority government, it is harder for investors to foresee what is going to happen.
How come Tony Abbott is saying he got the most votes and Julia Gillard is saying the same thing?
The AEC virtual tally room which is the most accurate tally room (hello, they are the ones counting the votes) says that the ALP have received the most two party preferred votes. (This was the result at 8.30am Monday). However there are some still 2 million votes yet to be counted. Remember, the number of seats is what matters. 76 are needed to form a majority government. This is not going to happen. At the moment ABC predict that the Coalition will win 73 seats and the ALP will win 72. Then the Coalition will see if they can form a minority government with the independents. If they can’t the ALP will have a shot. If the ALP wins the most seats, then they get first shot. If this doesn’t get worked out, there may be another election. Do minority governments last very long? Do they even work?
Minority governments can be frustrating as legislation takes longer to create in order for it to be passed. However, there are many governments around the world where minority governments are the norm (see “Are there any other countries in this situation?”). A vote of no confidence in the minority government leader by the parliament can lead to the dissolution of parliament and another election.
Mike Rann who is the Premier of South Australia has some positive first-hand insights of running a minority government:
“In 2002 I entered into an agreement with Peter Lewis, an Independent who had been a Liberal for decades, which secured us Government… Lewis became Speaker.
We then negotiated with Rory McEwen, an Independent former Liberal to join our Cabinet… Later we negotiated with National Party Leader Karlene Maywald to join our Cabinet. Both Rory and Karlene were full Cabinet Ministers…
In a first we signed a contract with each minister that enabled them to vote against the govt on legislation they could not support… These Ministers pledged to support us in no confidence motions. They guaranteed security for us as a stable minority govt…
It worked. A very strong, stable govt and we kept independents on for another 4 years even though we had a record majority… They made us a better govt and brought a different culture and regional and rural perspective to cabinet room.”
Who is running the country while we wait the final result?
We have a caretaker government. This happens every election from the time an election is called and parliament is dissolved up until the next ministry is appointed. The incumbent (Gillard led Labor Government) assumes the caretaker role.
The 4 independent power brokers
What will the independents use their power for? What are they like? What about Tony Crook, the national who took over Wilson Tuckey’s WA seat?
“Three traditional Country Party-style figures will be kingmakers, with an agenda for bigger government and more state intervention. There will also be a WA National arriving in Parliament to replace Wilson Tuckey, and he has indicated his willingness to ignore traditional party constraints. Keep an eye on Tony Crook. His relations with the eastern Nationals may not all be smooth sailing.
The horse trading will now begin, with Tony Windsor,
Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott, to decide who will form the next government. Tony Crook’s views must also not be irrelevant, given how long the WA Nats took to agree to support Colin Barnett in WA.
Greens MP Adam Bandt
Bandt has already indicated he will not support an Abbott Government; Andrew Wilkie is presumably not likely to support the Coalition either, although it is not yet clear whether Wilkie or the Greens (or Labor) have secured Denison [in Tasmania].
Windsor, Katter and Oakeshott will extract a price for their support… Now they are in a stronger position than ever. As former Nationals, you’d have to expect they would reflexively support Tony Abbott before Julia Gillard as Prime Minister. Expect a Liberal Government before the week is out. But stranger things have happened.”
Has Family First Senator Stephen Fielding been kicked out of the Senate? Is this the end of Family First?
At 6.30pm Sunday, the contest for the sixth Senate seat for Victoria is between Liberal party Senator Julian McGauran, Democratic Labor Party candidate John Madigan and Family First’s Steven Fielding. If Fielding does not get in, then Family First will still exist because they have MPs in state parliaments (two in South Australia and two in NSW).
Who are the other high profile MPs who have lost their seats?
Wilson Tuckey lost his seat to Nationals candidate Tony Crook and Maxine McKew lost the seat of Bennelong to Liberal candidate former tennis star John Alexander. McKew won the seat from former PM John Howard in 2007.
NEED-TO-KNOW: THE IMPORTANT BITS
· Wilson Tuckey lost his seat to Nationals candidate Tony Crook
· Wyatt Roy who is just 20 years old won the seat of Longman in QLD for the Liberal party
· Ken Wyatt, the Liberal candidate for Hasluck, WA could become the first Aboriginal Australian to be elected to the HOR
· Steven Fielding from Family First could lose his Senate seat
· Nearly 6% of votes counted so far are informal, which is nearly double what they were in 2007.
· Maxine McKew lost the seat of Bennelong to Liberal candidate former tennis star John Alexander. McKew won the seat from former PM John Howard in 2007.
An overview of what the leaders had to say from SBS:
Independent Andrew Wilkie and Greens MP Adam Bandt have announced they will both support the ALP to form a government. The ALP now have 74 seats. (Remember a party must have 76 votes to get the majority required to form government). We are still waiting to hear from independents Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor.
How did your election night go down? Anything interesting happen in your seat or at your house?
Top Comments
What democratic societies should learn lessen from Australia election 2010:
1.What productive action Gillard Labor government 5 billions to UN buys ousted PM Kevin Rudd’s face?
Voter’s pains did not link to high income Politicians and Bureaucracy.
The Australia historical hung parliament demonstrated the big gap of inequality society between the small educated elite groups who get highest pay by talk feast used mouth work controlling live essential resources of the country in every social platforms against the biggest less educated groups who get lowest pay by hands work squeezed by discriminative policies that sucking live blood from individual poor/less wealth off?
Voters’ voices do not hear?
Voters’ pains do not ease?
Voters’ cries do not care?
1.Poverty will not be phase out if no fairer resources to share;
2.Illness will not be reducing if no preventive measurement in real action;
3.Agriculture will not be revitalize if urbanization continuing its path;
4.Housing affordability will not be reach for young generation if government continues cashing from young generation debt by eating out the whole cake of education export revenue without plough back;
5.Manufacture industry will shrink smaller and smaller if no new elements there to power up to survive;
6.Employability will not in the sustainable mode for so long as manufacture and agriculture not going to boost.
Ma kee wai
(Member of Inventor Association Queensland since 1993)
What democratic societies should learn lessen from Australia election 2010:
1.What creative vision of Gillard Labor government’s nation-building agenda without support to Australian Inventors?
The Australia historical hung parliament demonstrated the big gap in 70 years of inequality society between the small educated elite groups who get highest pay by talk feast used mouth work controlling live essential resources of the country in every social platforms against the biggest less educated groups who get lowest pay by hands work squeezed by discriminative policies that sucking live blood from individual poor/less wealth off?
Voters’ voices do not hear?
Voters’ pains do not ease?
Voters’ cries do not care?
1.Poverty will not be phase out if no fairer resources to share;
2.Illness will not be reducing if no preventive measurement in real action;
3.Agriculture will not be revitalize if urbanization continuing its path;
4.Housing affordability will not be reach for young generation if government continues cashing from young generation debt by eating out the whole cake of education export revenue without plough back;
5.Manufacture industry will shrink smaller and smaller if no new elements there to power up to survive;
6.Employability will not in the sustainable mode for so long as manufacture and agriculture not going to boost.
Ma kee wai
(Member of Inventor Association Queensland since 1993)