UPDATE: Oakeshott and Windsor go with The Labor Party.
Why? Because more than anything they want a long stable government. They like both packages from both parties, but the deciding factor appears to be that they think the Coalition would be more likely to call an early election because they’d be more likely to win it. Figure that. They’re admitting the Labor minority government is weaker, and that’s why they’re backing it.
Putting long-stable-government over better-government, or more popular-government is pure self-interest. The independents feel they would hold more power in a three-way-split Labor party minority, and that their power would last for longer.
And Oakeshott might get a Ministry. (Not that that has anything to do with it…)
See Bolt.
So the plan now as the world faces the Global Financial Crisis part II is that anyone who disagrees with any government proposal needs to run active campaigns to make sure these two independents know exactly why those proposals are counter to Australia’s interests.
Steve Fielding will save us from the-Argentinian-path until July next year. After that…
…
EARLIER: One of the three independents has announced he will back the conservative coalition. That makes the tally effectively 74:74. The last two independents will decide it, but they must move together or we’ll need another election, which is the last thing the Independents would want, as they risk losing their key roles.
North Queensland independent MP Bob Katter will back the coalition to form minority government.
Mr Katter said his decision would have no bearing on fellow independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, signalling that they would be supporting Labor.
Mr Katter said he would respect Mr Windsor’s and Mr Oakeshott’s decision on which of the two major parties to back.
‘They have very moral convictions and they will follow through on those convictions,’ he told reporters inside his office at Parliament House.
‘I will most certainly respect whatever decision they make.’ SKY NEWS
Since Katter doesn’t want a carbon tax or a mining tax, it would seem bizarre for him to back the Labor Party and the Greens which want both. Wierdly though, he says he would have, if Rudd had been leader.
Katter implies the other two will go with Labor, but these Independents are in some of the most conservative seats in the country. They appear to want to go Labor, but what price paid at the next election?