Consultant Dan
14 November 2010
Labor Government and Australian Greens balance of power
Senator Christine Milne led the discussion on balance of power at a public meeting held by the Greens in Melbourne today. Cyndi Dawes (candidate for state seat Brunswick) introduced Senator Milne warmly, citing her as an inspirational leader of the greens movement in Australia. Adam Bandt chaired the meeting.
Balance of power is the political condition that has resulted in the so-called ‘new paradigm’ in Canberra. The new situation is that the House of Representatives has the Greens in shared balance of power and from the July 2011 Senate, that chamber will have the Greens in exclusive balance of power.
Senator Milne explained the history of Tasmanian Greens in balance of power situations, twice with Labor and once with the Liberals in Government. In all three scenarios, the Greens influenced the Government of the day, for example, doubling the size of the World Heritage area and creating Freedom of Information legislation.
This background framed Senator Milne’s explanation of the role of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee. The purpose of this Committee is to allow the Government and Greens to have a frank, private conversation which can form a new approach to energy and climate policy.
The problem is that the two parties are almost poles apart in their approach to global ecological issues. The Labor Party is held hostage by much of the same, anti-ecological thinking that ruled Australia during the reign of Liberal Prime Minister John Howard. Labor’s Energy and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson hates environmentalists; he complained that the pendulum had swung too far in the green direction under John Howard.
It is clear that the biggest benefits of balance of power require some solid thinking from both Labor and Greens about what a new, middle-path public policy approach might be. To get this work done we need a new programme of work from respected think tanks such as the Grattan Institute, Centre for Policy Development, Lowy Institute and Australia Institute.
RSS