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Beware the Labor/Greens alliance!

Posted by: Steve Murphy | 19 July, 2010 - 5:35 PM
brown

PLAYING NOW: Senator Bob Brown amazingly reveals he does not know much about the deal between the Labor Party and The Greens Party, which he leads.

Scroll to the bottom of this page and hit stop button on media player to stop the automatically-playing audio.

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STEVE MURPHY BLOG: The ALP has, as expected, done a deal with the Greens to exchange preferences at the August 21 election, which virtually guarantees the Greens the balance of power in the Senate from July next year and significantly boosts Labors chances in key marginal seats around the country.

Just as the ALP won and held Government throughout the 1980’s by corralling the environment lobby, it hopes to do the same in this new century by handing the balance of power in the Senate to Bob Brown.

However, neither the PM nor Mr Brown seem to keen to want to be directly associated with the horse trading and that should raise the suspicions of voters.

Ms. Gillard has said in Townsville today that preference swaps are matters for the National Secretary. Yeah right! Mr Brown constructed an even more obvious political dodge on Friday stating “As I made clear...... I reported to the PM about discussions on preferences.” So they reported to each other on preferences but didn’t actually discuss them. Give me a break.

In any event, Gillard needs Brown more than Brown needs Gillard. In close lower house contests the preference swap will be crucial whereas in the Senate the Greens would probably get the balance of power without it.

The real question is, if Labor wins, do we get the Gillard agenda or do we get the Brown manifesto? Let’s take a look at climate change, asylum seekers and mining taxation – the three big issues Ms Gillard has sought to neutralise since becoming Prime Minister.

On Climate Change the Greens want a price on carbon and want it NOW. Does anyone really think they will allow Gillard to achieve “a deep and abiding community consensus” before proceeding down a path of taxing everyone they see as big dirty polluters? If you think your electricity bill is high now, wait till they cripple the LaTrobe Valley.

While Ms. Gillard makes soothing noises about how she will get tougher on ‘boat people’you won't hear the same noises from Bob Brown. The Greens would more than likely want all asylum seekers processed on-shore. Open the gates and put out the welcome mat. None of this regional response nonsense for him.

And then there’s the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT),which the PM and Treasurer Swan (a late convert from the disastrous RSPT) claim will give all Australians a fairer share of the resources boom Mark 2.

Mr. Brown doesn’t actually see it that way. He told the National Press Club just last week that “Kevin Rudd’s mining super profits tax was a good idea.” Yep, the same proposal that stalled capital investment decisions, raised questions about sovereign risk and which would have ultimately cost thousands of new jobs.

Oh yes, and he’s against the Coal Seam Gas (CSG)to Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Queensland, where about $30 billion of investment is currently under consideration. That’s a lot of jobs and economic activity.

So if you vote Labor or Green do you actually know what you are going to get. They say you get what you vote for. But, given the ALP/Greens alliance, will you really?

Leave a comment or question below and Steve will try to reply to you.

Steve answers your questions

Steve Murphy Steve Murphy has been a journalist, commentator, senior political adviser and corporate communications consultant for almost 30 years. Read his election blogs, which he will answer your questions in.

Blog comments Your Say

  • That may be true Steve but we are always giving money to the farmers who are a right wing minority in this country and i dont see the difference between them and my business which is in mechanical supplies, i compete against cheap imports everyday but get no support yet if im a national voting farmer i can get what ever i damnwell scream for and do it as often as i like.

    Cheryl Wednesday 28 July, 2010 - 1:57 PM

  • I've had enough of the Greens in the senate and are going to vote DLP, the best way to get a real say in the country

    Ben Johns Saturday 24 July, 2010 - 2:57 PM

  • The greens are a joke of a ploitical party and the system that hands them more power than their piddling share of the vote entitles needs to be changed. If Labour gets in to bed with them and it turns pear shaped, it could trigger the change that is needed.
    Lets hope they don't get the chace to do too much damage before the fall.

    Merle of Moorabbin Friday 23 July, 2010 - 3:31 PM

  • Bob the bob it fella?
    Would you trust him balancing Parliamentary decisions. Mind you he likes sitting on the fence, in every sense of the word. Gillard may well ended up putting him as deputy PM. Kidding.
    Where are we really going?
    Scary.

    Concerned Mother Thursday 22 July, 2010 - 5:05 PM

  • Cheryl,It is very different to the National Party. The Nats campaign as a Coalition with the Liberals. There's no hiding the association. The Greens campaign on the basis of being an alternative to the majors.They should just be fair dinkum with us about their loyalities.

    steve murphy Thursday 22 July, 2010 - 12:40 PM

  • desperate gillard and boring bob.....why would anyone with any sense vote for these two dills? think hard before you make a mistake that effects all of us, we dont need more of the same from labor, and we dont need brown and is greens having any say in running this country.

    Eric Thursday 22 July, 2010 - 9:38 AM

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