Labor, Coalition agree on independents demand for Par reform
Australia's 'kingmaker' MPs on Monday struck a deal on parliamentary reform with both the Labor and the Coalition, inching closer to a decision on which side they would support following over two weeks of political negotiation to form a minority government. While the Labor, led by Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard, had agreed to the demands for a parliamentary overhaul on Sunday, the Tony Abott-led Coalition reached a deal with the three independent lawmakers on Monday. The three independents, who hold the balance of power in the hung parliament, are expected to announce on Tuesday which party they will back to form a minority government. The political negotiations have stretched for over two weeks after a cliffhanger election on August 21 threw up a hung verdict. The independents - Rob Oakeshott, Bob Katter and Tony Windsor — held talks with the Labor and the Coalition on Monday following which Oakeshott told reporters that a deal has been reached for changes in the Question Time, and that the parliament will have an independent speaker. These changes, Oakeshott said would give ordinary MPs more power and strip away some of the control from the executive. While Gillard needs the support of two of the three rural independents to stay in the Prime Minister's seat, Abbott needs all three of them to become the premier. Windsor said this morning that the trio wanted to meet Gillard and Opposition Leader Abbott again before coming to their final conclusions. "My guess is that on the basis of all of that we'll make a determination probably on Tuesday morning," he told ABC Radio. He also said there was no guarantee that all three would join the same bloc. "I'd hope that we'd all vote in a similar fashion but there is no guarantee of that at all. There is a possibility here that we could end up with 75-all ... and I've asked people from both sides of the Parliament, 'Do you want another election?' and they really run in fear when you suggest that to them," he said. Labor has already secured the support of the Greens MP Adam Bandt and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, bringing the party to a tally of 74 in the 150-member house. The Liberal-National party Coalition meanwhile has 73 seats. Leader of the House Anthony Albanese and manager of Opposition business Christopher Pyne appeared alongside Oakeshott to hail the deal on parliamentary reform. "I'm very happy with these reforms. The Coalition has been pushing for them for some time," Pyne was quoted as saying by ABC news.
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