#ausvotes

Certainly, when negotiations are undertaken separately and as the need arises, concessions made by the government may be considerably less than that expected when negotiating with a more permanent partner as in a coalition for example. Still the prospect of a coalition cannot be entertained without acceptance of considerable loss of identity and policy compromise.

Indeed, the supporting parties for a minority government need not ever remain constant, and most likely will change with the seasons that specific policy issues bring with them. Numerous agreements may be reached with a variety of parties within parliament; each to achieve distinct objectives. This continuous influx of pressure to maintain relationships and alliances in the pursuit of support in the Lower House is the essence that makes parliament great when visited with minority government; the incentive to survive is strong and it fosters nothing short of a total commitment of representatives to their electorates. Of course the major parties will still tow the party line, but given the fundamental shift in things essential to survival, compromise that would never have been contemplated in the past will flow freely while in pursuit of certain objectives. Both sides will actively pursue their agenda amid this matrix of promises. The very best in our parliamentarians is elucidated when minority government takes hold.

Contrary to popular belief, minority governments are not converted into majority government s. They are maintained as minority governments within a vastly different paradigm to the majoritarian culture we are accustomed to. This may be the dawn of a radically different era for Australian politics, but minority governments have not only proven to be stable and to endure for longer than some majority governments, they have been shown to exist with far more transparency and accountability than has been evinced in Australian politics of late.

A minority government must be pragmatic and adapt to the need for collaboration and greater compromise. This is the very nature of minority government politics, and if a minority government chooses to continue governing as if in majority - it will find a strong willingness by the rest of parliament to rail against them. Inevitably they will be unable to maintain support and will be unable to pass any legislation. Having either to cede to the opposition or face the electorate, this does nothing for political stability or the confidence of the international community.

At that point, the government is fragile and vulnerable to deposition. Power shifts to the opposition, whether they are a single party or a coalition themselves. The Executive in this instance will ordinarily consent to a caretaker government, and allow negotiations between parties take place to reach some solution.

If agreement is reached, the Governor General may ask one party or coalition to form a government, but in the absence of consensus, parliament will be dissolved and another election called. The people will voice their opinion and elect their parliament once more. At that point it must be noted that all members of parliament are vulnerable to defeat in their own electorate. Particularly if they have not achieved the objectives promised to their constituents, they may not be returned to office.

Negotiation and bilateral agreement are the only manner in which a minority government can survive to pursue its agenda. Concessions and agreement may even need to extend outside of parliament to other key stakeholders. While one party may be said to be the government, after a hung parliament, the reality is that the influences of many parties come to the fore and govern through minority government politics.