Shouts from the desert

While the election of a candidate in Bennelong on the back of sporting fame rather than merit is sorely disappointing, the national result (assuming it does not change after counting of postal and declaration votes) is that independents will decide which side gets to form a government. That is encouraging, since it means the system can get a chance to work the way it is supposed to for a change. Rather than being able to get away with some of the outrageous excesses that have been conducted by governments using their administrative powers, secure in the knowledge that their party room will back them, we will have a situation where if the new government (whoever it is) goes to extremes, the independents in the Parliament will be in a position to replace them.

It is a great shame that there was no independent in Bennelong this time around. Instead there was a vast array of minor party candidates who for one reason or another posed special difficulties.