Your Politics

Independents storm back to power with -140 seat majority

23 August 2010 | Joe Stella

Read more background from The Australian.

Although some seats remain in doubt, the Independents are already claiming victory with a House of Representatives majority of -140.

It’s a remarkable turnaround from the previous government’s slender majority of +18.

Only the seats of Adelaide, Aston and Ballarat bucked the massive swing to the Independents—along with Banks, Barker, Barton, Bass, Batman, Bendigo, Bennelong, Berowra, Blair and Blaxland.

And Bonner, Boothby, Bowman, Braddon, Brand, Bradfield, Brisbane, Bruce, Calare, Calwell, Canberra, Canning, Capricornia, Casey, Charlton, Chifley, Chisholm, Cook, Corangamite, Corio, Cowan, Cowper, Cunningham, Curtin, Dawson, Deakin, Dickson, Dobell, Dunkley, Durack, Eden-Monaro, Fadden, Fairfax, Farrer, Fisher, Flinders, Flynn, Forde, Forrest, Fowler, Franklin, Fraser, Fremantle, Gellibrand, Gilmore, Gippsland, Goldstein, Gorton, Grayndler, Greenway, Grey, Griffith, Groom, Hasluck, Herbert, Higgins, Hindmarsh, Hinkler, Holt, Hotham, Hughes, Hume, Hunter, Indi, Isaacs, Jagajaga, Kingston, Kooyong, Kingsford Smith, Lalor, Leichhardt, Lilley, Lindsay, Lingiari, Longman, La Trobe, Lyons, Macarthur, Mackellar, Macquarie, Makin, Mallee, Maranoa, Maribyrnong, Mayo, McEwen, McMahon, McMillan, McPherson, Menzies, Mitchell, Moncrieff, Moore, Moreton, Melbourne Ports, Murray, Newcastle, North Sydney, Oxley, Port Adelaide, Page, Parkes, Parramatta, Paterson, Pearce, Perth, Petrie, Rankin, Reid, Richmond, Riverina, Robertson, Ryan, Scullin, Shortland, Solomon, Stirling, Sturt, Swan, Sydney, Tangney, Throsby, Wakefield, Wannon, Warringah, Watson, Wide Bay, Wentworth, Werriwa and Wills.

And Wright.

The victory marks the end of 60 years in the wilderness for the Independents, who led Australia’s legendary wartime government from 1940 to 1943.

At times during the five-week campaign, sideshow Labor and Liberal politicians seemed to overshadow the Independents’s three-man frontbench team.

But whether voters were dumping Labor MPs for Liberals or edging out Liberal MPs for Labor, the mood across the country was the same: end the spin and give us a government led by people other than the ones we just voted for.

First-time voter Shelley Watson was one of many in the Darwin-based seat of Solomon who supported the Country Liberals against incumbent Labor MP Damian Hale. “Damian Hale represents everything that’s wrong with Australian politics,” Shelley told us, “[CLP candidate] Natasha Griggs will help give government back to the people—of Kennedy.”

The feeling was similar in the Liberal seat of McEwen in Victoria, expected to fall to the ALP. Retired mechanic Wal Sheldon says the Liberals didn’t deserve his vote after a negative, policy-free campaign. “I’m voting Labor, because the only way we can move forward is with a leader who understands the local issues in Taree, NSW.”

But the next term won’t be trouble-free for the incoming Independent administration. The 145-odd crossbench MPs could still cause trouble—even bring the down the government. Sources in the Independents say that’s unlikely, with one telling us “they wouldn’t dare… to do that sort of thing, you really need a mandate.”