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Advantages of Being a Minority Government – Ministerial Departments

Being a minority government however is not as impoverished a political lifestyle as it may appear. As the established government, it may suffer some legislative defeats when particular alliances are forged elsewhere in parliament, but it is in a far better position to evaluate the political scene and provide for political contingencies. Due to the great frequency of negotiation and agreement with other members of parliament which at times may include the opposition, ministerial departments will play a crucial role. They will need to familiarise themselves with more than just the incumbent government policy and requirements. Public service administration will need to have a clear and dynamic understanding of the needs of the counterparty’s to government alliances within parliament in order to incorporate their needs into public service functions.

Cabinet business will still require the utmost discretion but will also undergo reform. Under minority government Cabinet fragments on some level into specific relationships and its collective responsibility and persona undergoes transformation. Guarded by sound procedures however, Cabinet and its effectiveness is not compromised. Needless to say, public servants in government administration will need to be attuned to the dynamic forming and severance of political relationships and meet their needs dynamically. In this way, the talent within government public service departments allows a minority government the significant advantage.

Being able to cost and allocate resources with far more proficiency than an opposition is immeasurably valuable in parliament. Indeed, departments such as Treasury will be most involved with dealing with the policies and perspectives of all the various factions within parliament. Of late some consternation has arisen on the Oppositions initial unwillingness to submit its costings to Treasury. Treasury are expected to act with the utmost discretion; this is a routine procedure that is addressed in the Caretaker convention protocol, the fruits of which are a privilege usually extended to an incoming government alone. In the unusual circumstances of a hung parliament and with Independents holding the balance of power, the Caretaker Convention needed to be amended in order to accommodate the request of the Independent’s for Treasury’s costings from both major parties. Subsequently this has been resolved.

If minority government is going to work, the public service must be talented, efficient and productive. Delegated legislation, the budget process, parliamentary & legislative agenda, terms of debates, and various other prerogative powers are all at the disposal of the minority government. Finally, the right to call an early election is most useful to the minority government in the correct political climate.

Often supporting parties who have been offered Cabinet positions will be required to adopt a collective united position on matters within their Cabinet portfolio, but are free to pursue their unique party identity on issues outside that portfolio. Particularly for the public service, their role will undergo radical change in that they may find themselves serving the interests of government and also other parties, including the opposition. Discretion and confidentiality will be more important than ever before in this climate of multi-party parliamentary agenda.

The Oppositions Position

Of course, for the opposition it is a veritable field day of opportunity. While it may be tempting to frustrate the government at every conceivable possibility, it must be borne in mind that at some stage the opposition will also face the electorate and if it has had the opportunity to influence government policy and has failed to do so proactively, the public’s repudiation will be met at the polls. While to pursue the interests of one’s own electorate is expected let alone encouraged, the stability of the nation is also at stake, and those opposing a minority government will do well