Morrison and Albanese rule out deals with minor parties to form government
Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have both ruled out striking deals with minor parties and independents if there is a hung parliament, with any post-election horse trading to be a broken promise.
Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have both ruled out striking deals with minor parties and independents if there is a hung parliament, with any post-election horse trading to be a broken promise.
After leaving the door open to making deals with independents on Monday, the Prime Minister on Tuesday said: “I won’t be doing any deals with independents.
“The reason for that is this: I think Australians, we need to be very clear about the choice.”
Mr Morrison said the only reason Australia came out of the pandemic relatively successfully was because the Coalition had had “stability and certainty in government”.
“A vote for these independents ... is a vote for uncertainty and instability in incredibly uncertain times,” Mr Morrison said.
“It’s the Forrest Gump principle: you just never know what you’re going to get, and at a time of great international uncertainty where there are real consequences for there being uncertainty and instability in the parliament.
“A vote for those independents is a vote for chaos in parliament, which will only hurt … Australians running their businesses, trying to stay in their jobs, keeping their families together and ensuring they can get through the challenging times ahead.”
With the government trying to link Labor with the Greens, Mr Albanese said he would not do deals with any minor party or independent.
“There will be no deal with the independents and crossbenchers,” Mr Albanese told 4BC radio.
“I’m seeking to form a government in my own right.
“I’m the only person running for prime minister who can form government in their own right.”
The prospect of a hung parliament is growing, given the latest Newspoll showing the primary vote of the Coalition at 35 per cent and Labor at 36 per cent.
The survey, published in The Australian on Tuesday, showed 29 per cent of respondents were leaning to voting for minor parties or independent candidates.
Mr Morrison and the Opposition Leader’s refusal to do deals will put the onus on crossbench MPs to support a minority government based on the election platform of the Coalition and Labor.
Mr Morrison said he would not do preference deals with Clive Palmer, but refused to say whether the United Australia Party would be below the Greens and Labor on Liberal how-to-vote cards.
In The Australian on Tuesday, independent MPs backed by Climate 200 said they would support the major party that had the strongest policies on climate change and a national integrity commission.
This signals they would support a Labor minority government given Anthony Albanese’s more 2030 emissions reduction target and pledge for a federal anti-corruption agency with public hearings.
On Monday, Mr Morrison chose to not voice support for new coalmines in the Galilee Basin as Liberal MPs face challenges from climate independents who are anti-coal.
On Tuesday, Resources Minister Keith Pitt said the Coalition would welcome any new thermal coalmines.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said a parliament with a larger crossbench would be “total and utter chaos” that would have “the Chinese laughing all the way to their battleships”.
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