Federal election 2016: Turnbull, Shorten pledge to never repeat Gillard/Greens experiment
MALCOLM Turnbull and Bill Shorten have vowed to never let it happen again, both leaders have now signed a formal pledge to ensure that the 2010 Gillard/Greens experiment isn’t repeated.
NSW
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MALCOLM Turnbull and Bill Shorten have vowed to never let it happen again.
And both leaders have now signed a formal pledge to ensure that the 2010 Gillard/Greens experiment isn’t repeated.
An oath by the Coalition and Labor that neither major party will enter into an alliance or coalition with the Greens in the lower house to form government if the election produces another hung parliament is now set in stone.
A resolute Prime Minister declared there were no circumstances in which he would form government with the Greens in the event of a hung parliament.
“There is absolutely no chance of that,’’ he said.
“You can rule out any collaboration with the Greens to form a government.”
He said Australians looked back at the last hung parliament, which Labor formed, with a “degree of horror.”
Mr Shorten who pledged never to form an alliance with the Greens said: “Labor will fight this election to form its own government and to form a government in our own right.
“Labor will not be going into coalition with any party.”
The nation watched in horror in September 2010 when Julia Gillard stood next to Greens leader Bob Brown and two NSW Independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor and signed a formal alliance to form government.
The experiment, designed primarily to engineer a carbon tax, lasted three years until the Abbott Government scrapped its major policies.
Greens MP Adam Bandt has declared that the fringe party was open to forming government with Labor.
“Bill Shorten can say we are dreaming, sometimes dreams come true,” he said.
While Mr Shorten ruled out forming a coalition with the Greens, Mr Turnbull said he did not believe the assurance.
“They are on the same page, Labor and the Greens, let’s face it,’’ he said.
“If we have another hung parliament it will be the Greens and Labor back into business.”
Some have suggested Mr Turnbull made the strong comments to cool the conservative base of his party, but The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Turnbull has no personal aspiration whatsoever for a deal.
Mr Turnbull said a Labor alliance with the Greens would lead to relaxed border security measures and the prospect of the illegal people smuggling trade to Australia reopening.
“We know what the price will be; people smugglers back in business, much higher taxes even than those already contemplated by Labor and a much higher carbon tax.”
Mr Shorten accused the Liberal Party of being in secret talks with the Greens on preferences in some inner city seats.
The prospect of a second hung parliament in the space of a decade is remote. But the spectre looms large over an election campaign which has both parties deadlocked in the polls.
The Greens, which have only one seat in the house managed to increase their representation, are campaigning to take two more inner city seats held by Labor — Wills in Melbourne and Grayndler in Sydney held by Anthony Albanese.
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