Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said today that he was now convinced the FuelWatch scheme didn’t stack up. If the Coalition decides to oppose the measure the Rudd Government will be forced to rely on Mr. Xenophon and the minor parties to get the policy through the Senate.

The Victorian Greens will today move a bill to toughen existing conflict of interest and donation disclosure rules, based on the current West Australian model. But last night Local Government Minister Richard Wynne sought to trump the Greens with a sneak preview of his own bill, due in September.

While some of the Rudd Government’s changes to Australia’s immigration policy may be able to be introduced by regulation, the rest will require the passage of laws in the Senate. The Greens are likely to support the changes but the support of Family First is unclear.

When Parliament resumes next month it will be a brave new world for the Government and the Opposition. The Liberal-National Coalition no longer has a Senate majority. But that’s not necessarily good news for the Government either. The Coalition needs the support of two other senators to amend legislation and just one to block it. Labor, meanwhile, needs either the Coalition or the Greens and both Xenophon and Fielding.