I used to think a hung parliament wouldn't be such a bad idea. After all it worked here in Queensland, where the Labor Party had to appease a rural independent for a whole term. It didn't do them any harm. Plenty of other countries have governments that include loose coalitions of parties cobbled together post-election and they still seem to function. However, in the case of the Gillard Government I'm starting to have second thoughts. Since Gillard finally made her peace with the Greens and Independents in September, things seem to have gone badly in a lot of different ways. I don't necessarily mean on governance. There have been some successes here. The government has managed to actually get agreement on a health reform package and new workplace safety laws, while some good progress has been made on a carbon tax. Other areas are more disappointing, especially on asylum seekers where Gillard has become so like Howard she may as well shave her head and put o
'Contemplating the teeming life of the shore, we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just beyond our grasp.' - Rachel Carson