This week was a week of number twos on a variety of fronts. In the US, Joe Biden became Barack Obama’s new sidekick, while in Australia, the minor parties in the Senate geared up to take on their new roles as second fiddles. Meanwhile, in the entertainment world, ‘Stargate Atlantis’ was cancelled and replaced by ‘Stargate Universe’.
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks’ widely praised reform of the state’s upper house left the balance of power with the Democratic Labor Party and the Greens. This means the Opposition needs the DLP’s Peter Kavanagh to hammer the Government with inquiries, and the Government needs him to check the Opposition.
f there was a large swing against Labor in Western Australia, let alone a loss, it would send a jolt right across a continent papered with wall-to-wall Labor governments. Inevitably, federal Labor would feel a touch nervous. This would affect the mood for the busy spring parliamentary session and Labor’s work on its extensive agenda.
During the counting of votes for this month’s Northern Territory general election, media commentators were telling us that the swing against Labor was 9 per cent. Several people have asked me to tell them what that figure really may mean.
Emeritus Professor David Black, of Curtin University, said in releasing its internal polling, Labor had shown its hand by revealing 57 per cent of voters expected a Carpenter win. “They realise they’re in trouble,” Prof Black said today. “What they want to do is tell the electorate is ‘it won’t be a wake-up call, we’ll actually lose’.”
The Coalition will vote against a number of budget measures when they go before the Senate later this year. The Government will then need the votes of five Greens senators, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon and Family First Senator Steve Fielding to pass its legislation.
The power-sharing arrangement between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard gives every appearance of being the most equitable of any political duo in recent political history, and one that Gillard’s admirers believe only establishes her more firmly as the Labor leader-in-waiting.
The Government is in a dilemma. Having invested much political capital in FuelWatch, does it move heaven and earth to get it through? Or does simply blame the Opposition for not supporting the policy, and privately breathe a sigh of relief when the Senate shoots what has been widely attacked as a dog of an idea?
The Australian: Kevin Rudd accused the Coalition of siding with big oil companies over the FuelWatch scheme today, as the Government conceded it was prepared to “listen” to key senators to secure support.
Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen extended an olive branch to crossbench senators over FuelWatch, admitting the Government would accept legislative amendments after it became [...]
The Government needs the support of the Greens and senators Fielding and Xenophon to get its legislation through the upper house. “We’re still wanting to understand how it won’t push petrol prices … up and we also want to know how FuelWatch won’t squeeze out independents,” said Senator Fielding.