Embracing hitherto unexperienced levels of media exposure, independent MP Rob Oakeshott yesterday spoke of a magical land far far away – a colourful place called “consensus politics.”
In a self-described “cheeky” suggestion, Oakeshott floated the idea of a mix and match government with, say, Kevin Rudd as Tony Abbott’s foreign minister or Malcolm Turnbull pulling up a chair at Gillard’s cabinet meetings. Oakeshott may not have been completely serious, but he didn’t seem to be joking either.
He also said that he knew – just knew – Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are friends. So why not pick up the phone and have chat? Why not dial a buddy and nut this one out with a good old fashioned chin wag?
Plenty of commentators agree that Australia could benefit from parliamentary reform because, as Michelle Grattan wrote in The Age, “the way the House of Representatives’ question time operated in the last term was a disgrace.”
But the commentariat also seemed to come to a collective agreement that Oakeshott’s optimistic view of government, in which members from both sides arrive hand in hand to sing Hakuna Matata, might be stretching things a tad too far.
Here’s how the pundits reported about this new proposed parliament of rainbows and bubblegum.
The Australian
Paul Kelly: Minorities will be held to account
The independents are required to take action anathema to their entire existence: install Labor or Coalition, Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott, in power. They have to make a political decision in favour of one party or another. They cannot run, hide or dissemble with meaningless chatter about fresh opportunities unique to mankind.
James Massola and Joe Kelly: Rob Oakeshott urges Gillard and Abbott to start talking
Continuing his call to reinvent the parliamentary system, Mr Oakeshott said his preference was for a cross-party cabinet and indicated he may not support either side of politics if a cross-party cabinet could not be formed.
ABC News
Emma Rodgers: Abbott promises more Mr Nice Guy
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has conceded Australia’s Parliament is “needlessly confrontational” and says it could be kinder and gentler. But he is not willing to adopt independent MP Rob Oakeshott’s idea of including Labor politicians in a Coalition cabinet as a way of narrowing the party divide.
News.com.au
Simon Benson: Party politics is so yesterday – Robert Oakeshott
Mr Oakeshott said voters had demonstrated they were tired of party politics, and he would consider moving away from usual power sharing arrangements.
The Age
Michelle Grattan: Oakeshott suggests a ‘unity’ government
Describing his naming names as ”cheeky”, he was trying to get Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott ”to think outside the box for once”. He admitted it was not likely to fly.
Herald Sun
Andrew Bolt: Shun all talk of consensus
“…Oakeshott with his bizarre talk of a new “consensus” politics plans to rob you of even more control over your politicians. And Windsor, falsely claiming this stalemate proves voters “couldn’t make a decision”, may now want to impose on the rest of the country exactly the anti-voter “reforms” he helped inflict on NSW, to its misfortune.
Ah yes, watching the msm spit and froth in just this manner will become sheer gold entertainment in itself as these days and weeks unfold…I for one am loving it.
I don’t believe the Autralian electorate were voting for some kind of “consensus politics” or “parliamentary reform”. They were punishing Labor for dumping both Rudd and the ETS – but on the other hand they were not willing to go quite as far as voting in the unelectable fruit loop that currently leads the Liberal party.
Despite what many people would like us to believe (including the media when it suits their purposes) there ARE deep and fundamental ideological differences between the two main parties – and also between those parties and the various minor parties and independents. They simply don’t show up in the superficial reporting that is all a lazy and partisan media serve up in place of in-depth political analysis these days.
The most likely outcome of this election is neither “consensus politics” nor “parliamentary reform” – it is simply a period of ongoing policical instability (and at a very inopportune time economically!) which will see Australia back at the polls in 12 – 18 months.
Perhaps the best thing the independents could do is simply refuse to join either party in a minority government, and force the issue right now.
The alternative is to participate in the unedifying spectacle of Abbott trying to make us believe he’s really a nice “new age” kind of guy instead of an absolutist right wing political thug who would rather see Australia as a “guided” democracy, or Gillard trying to make us believe that the kneecapping of Kevin Rudd was “in the best interests of the nation” and Kevin is now contrite, happy and resigned to accepting a minor role in the party.
MP Rob Oakeshott is an intriguing character, but I’m not sure I understand what he’s on about, at all, to be honest.
A Oscar,
So esssentially what you are saying is that Australia and its politicians are to immature to accept that a Parliamentary democracy is actually about forging co-alitions (the good kind) to form Government.
I am tired of people talking and acting as if a hung parliament is an anathema to parlaimentary democracy- it was actually designed to operate that way!
The totally negative STUNT by Abbott, which is vertual propaganda exceeds Joseph Goebbels attempt to brainwash the German people in the 1930’s.
This Nations position WAS the envy of the rest of the world!.
What HAPPEND!.