ID :
19487
Mon, 09/15/2008 - 09:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19487
The shortlink copeid
Nats alliance sinks WA Labor government
(AAP) - Labor's stranglehold of state and territory governments has been broken, with Western Australia's Liberals set to form government with National Party support.
Liberal Party leader Colin Barnett will become WA's next premier after Nationals leader Brendon Grylls announced his party would back the Liberals to form a minority government in the state's hung parliament.
The Nationals emerged as kingmakers after last week's state election left neither
Labor nor the Liberals with enough seats to govern in their own right.
Following a two and a half hour meeting of the Nationals' State Council, Mr Grylls
said it had been a difficult and close decision to choose which of the major parties
would govern WA.
"The Nationals State Council has today endorsed the parliamentary team to negotiate
a power sharing arrangement with a minority Liberal government," Mr Grylls told
reporters.
Mr Grylls said the parliamentary team's recommendation, hammered out over 25 hours
of deliberations, had been endorsed by the State Council, although the vote had not
been unanimous.
He said the make-up of parliament had been the most important factor in determining
which side the Nationals supported.
Giving the party' support to Labor would have meant the Nationals sharing the
balance of power in the upper house with the Greens.
"Of the 25 hours of negotiation, 15 of those were talking about the composition of
the upper house, and our concern that any offer from the Labor party would require
Greens support in the upper house to guarantee that legislation," he said.
"And whether or not we could actually get that support."
An alliance with the Liberals was the best way to guarantee the Nationals "royalties
for regions" package, he said.
Under the plan, which the Nationals made the non-negotiable starting point for any
agreement, 25 per cent of WA's mining royalties - $675 million - would be invested
in regional infrastructure and services.
Labor's opposition to uranium mining and genetically modified crops had also been
important factors in the deliberations, Mr Grylls said.
He earlier contacted Mr Barnett and outgoing Premier Alan Carpenter to inform them
of the Nationals' decision.
A spokesman for Mr Barnett said it had been the will of the people to vote Labor out.
Since last Saturday week's election, Mr Grylls has maintained that his party had
changed and now occupied the middle ground of politics.
He denied his negotiations with the two parties had been a charade to extract the
maximum concessions from the Nationals' traditional Liberal allies, saying he always
wanted the best deal for the bush.
He will meet Mr Barnett over the coming days to work out the exact nature of their
power sharing arrangement.
The Nationals have rejected a formal coalition, where they would have received at
least four ministries, opting instead for a looser alliance.
They will, however, have at least one minister to oversee the royalties for regions
plan.
Mr Grylls said he had rejected an offer of the deputy premiership to retain his
independence, and his party retained the right to challenge Liberal party room
decisions and vote against government legislation.
But he said the Nationals took their balance of power role seriously and would
ensure stable government.
The challenge would be to ensure the "missed opportunities" for the bush under eight
years of Labor were not repeated now, he said.
"I'm quite sure when they write my history as the leader of the Nationals that won't
be a part of the last chapter, he said."
Mr Carpenter's defeat breaks Labor's total dominance of all state and territory
governments.
Political commentator Peter Van Onselen said WA Labor could be the first among more
state governments to fall in coming elections.
"This is the first time in over 20 elections that the Liberal Party at a state level
has won an election," he told reporters.
"I think it means we're starting to see a shift at the state level. Federal Labor is
strong, state Labor governments have been a bit weak over the last few years.
"This may well be the first example of many to come of state Labor governments
struggling at elections.
Mr carpenter and Mr Barnett were due to hold media conferences in the next few hours.
Liberal Party leader Colin Barnett will become WA's next premier after Nationals leader Brendon Grylls announced his party would back the Liberals to form a minority government in the state's hung parliament.
The Nationals emerged as kingmakers after last week's state election left neither
Labor nor the Liberals with enough seats to govern in their own right.
Following a two and a half hour meeting of the Nationals' State Council, Mr Grylls
said it had been a difficult and close decision to choose which of the major parties
would govern WA.
"The Nationals State Council has today endorsed the parliamentary team to negotiate
a power sharing arrangement with a minority Liberal government," Mr Grylls told
reporters.
Mr Grylls said the parliamentary team's recommendation, hammered out over 25 hours
of deliberations, had been endorsed by the State Council, although the vote had not
been unanimous.
He said the make-up of parliament had been the most important factor in determining
which side the Nationals supported.
Giving the party' support to Labor would have meant the Nationals sharing the
balance of power in the upper house with the Greens.
"Of the 25 hours of negotiation, 15 of those were talking about the composition of
the upper house, and our concern that any offer from the Labor party would require
Greens support in the upper house to guarantee that legislation," he said.
"And whether or not we could actually get that support."
An alliance with the Liberals was the best way to guarantee the Nationals "royalties
for regions" package, he said.
Under the plan, which the Nationals made the non-negotiable starting point for any
agreement, 25 per cent of WA's mining royalties - $675 million - would be invested
in regional infrastructure and services.
Labor's opposition to uranium mining and genetically modified crops had also been
important factors in the deliberations, Mr Grylls said.
He earlier contacted Mr Barnett and outgoing Premier Alan Carpenter to inform them
of the Nationals' decision.
A spokesman for Mr Barnett said it had been the will of the people to vote Labor out.
Since last Saturday week's election, Mr Grylls has maintained that his party had
changed and now occupied the middle ground of politics.
He denied his negotiations with the two parties had been a charade to extract the
maximum concessions from the Nationals' traditional Liberal allies, saying he always
wanted the best deal for the bush.
He will meet Mr Barnett over the coming days to work out the exact nature of their
power sharing arrangement.
The Nationals have rejected a formal coalition, where they would have received at
least four ministries, opting instead for a looser alliance.
They will, however, have at least one minister to oversee the royalties for regions
plan.
Mr Grylls said he had rejected an offer of the deputy premiership to retain his
independence, and his party retained the right to challenge Liberal party room
decisions and vote against government legislation.
But he said the Nationals took their balance of power role seriously and would
ensure stable government.
The challenge would be to ensure the "missed opportunities" for the bush under eight
years of Labor were not repeated now, he said.
"I'm quite sure when they write my history as the leader of the Nationals that won't
be a part of the last chapter, he said."
Mr Carpenter's defeat breaks Labor's total dominance of all state and territory
governments.
Political commentator Peter Van Onselen said WA Labor could be the first among more
state governments to fall in coming elections.
"This is the first time in over 20 elections that the Liberal Party at a state level
has won an election," he told reporters.
"I think it means we're starting to see a shift at the state level. Federal Labor is
strong, state Labor governments have been a bit weak over the last few years.
"This may well be the first example of many to come of state Labor governments
struggling at elections.
Mr carpenter and Mr Barnett were due to hold media conferences in the next few hours.
