During the election Bob Katter said the best thing that could happen would be a hung parliament. He got what he wanted. Time will tell if he backs a Labor government which is the rational thing to do considering support from the "independent" trio would give Labor a working majority of three. Holding up a Coalition government would give only a one vote majority for them. Note the Speaker for the most part does not actually vote. A one vote majority will not hold the course for long. If the independents have not been putting on a show, with their minds already made up from the beginning, then they have no real choice but to back Labor. Choosing the Coalition will show them to be false prophets.
Some pundits have said that Australian voters were ambivalent about both parties. Labor's mismanagement of the economic stimulus, however, was the major factor in the present deadlock. Most Australians want the National Broadband Network. They did not want Labor to lose outright. The mining tax was really a non-factor. People could take it or leave it. All the other issues pushed voters this way and that but did not affect the outcome.
A lack of vision is also put forward by some pundits. Visionaries like Bob Hawke held power mainly due to their strong personality not to great visionary change. Indeed, voters do not like too much change too quickly. The two leaders do not have strong personalities but not having a vision was irrelevant. Green candidates benefitted most from the protest vote. They should bask in their glory, because the vote for them will not be as high as it was ever again.
Campaigning in marginal electorates was to be expected due to the close polling results in the election. Safe electorates were not promised much so it was also said that consumer-driven voting was the main factor. This is only a new term for old fashioned hip-pocket voting. Labor still supports the working "man" and the conservative parties still lean toward big business. Tony Abbot's pet project, maternity leave, not supported by hardly any of his colleges was an oddity of the campaign.
Overall, Labor's campaign did have vision. A great new tax and national "medicare" were bold new ideas. In summary two things were important: Labors mismanagement and the NBN. To a degree they cancelled each other out.
Some pundits have said that Australian voters were ambivalent about both parties. Labor's mismanagement of the economic stimulus, however, was the major factor in the present deadlock. Most Australians want the National Broadband Network. They did not want Labor to lose outright. The mining tax was really a non-factor. People could take it or leave it. All the other issues pushed voters this way and that but did not affect the outcome.
A lack of vision is also put forward by some pundits. Visionaries like Bob Hawke held power mainly due to their strong personality not to great visionary change. Indeed, voters do not like too much change too quickly. The two leaders do not have strong personalities but not having a vision was irrelevant. Green candidates benefitted most from the protest vote. They should bask in their glory, because the vote for them will not be as high as it was ever again.
Campaigning in marginal electorates was to be expected due to the close polling results in the election. Safe electorates were not promised much so it was also said that consumer-driven voting was the main factor. This is only a new term for old fashioned hip-pocket voting. Labor still supports the working "man" and the conservative parties still lean toward big business. Tony Abbot's pet project, maternity leave, not supported by hardly any of his colleges was an oddity of the campaign.
Overall, Labor's campaign did have vision. A great new tax and national "medicare" were bold new ideas. In summary two things were important: Labors mismanagement and the NBN. To a degree they cancelled each other out.
