Aussie election I
I’m watching the upcoming Aussie election with great interest. Partly it is a mirror image, to some extent, of what is happening in NZ. An enduring Government under challenge by a new ’sexy’ leader of the Opposition (though I would have to say that Keys has the running over Rudd in terms of media presence!). And, the Greens have the potential of ending up with a share of the balance of power if the Senate swings towards Labor as is expected. Furthermore, if the Greens can pick up one extra Senate seat, then they reach the magic number of five and gain the status of a ‘party’ at Parliament, with the benefit of additional resources.
Of course the issue of preferencing is pivotal in Aus - so what Labor decides is critical. Some unions are putting Labour under pressure as the Greens are Labor’s strongest ally in terms of getting rid of WorkChoice. According to the Australian
A number of national union secretaries and state labour council
leaders are urging the ALP to lock in a formal election deal. They
argue a deal with the Greens will give Labor its best chance of
securing a “friendly” Senate if Kevin Rudd wins office. But the federal Opposition Leader and his senior team are resisting
a deal, amid concerns it could expose Labor to a government scare
campaign over its climate change policies.
Preferencing deals are often not finalised till the last few days but perhaps some of NZ Labour’s strategists could have a quiet word in the ear of the trans-Tasman counterparts and let them know that working with the Greens is quite do-able.
Powered by ScribeFire.