Julia Gillard’s last claim to the Prime Ministership has just crumbled after yesterday’s vote count.

Date 31/08/10

Julia Gillard’s last claim to the Prime Ministership has just crumbled after yesterday’s vote count.

Tony Abbott argued last week for the three rural independents to hand government to the Coalition on the basis the bottom line is last weekend’s election produced half a million more votes for the Coalition than for the Labor Party.
Meanwhile, Julia Gillard’s argued for the three rural independents’ to hand government to Labor on the basis that the Labor Party is the political party that received the biggest share of the two-party preferred vote.
Gillard’s argument just imploded. In fact, her argument now means that the independents have no moral alternative to making Abbott Prime Minister.
After yesterday’s vote-counting, Abbott can claim not only the most seats won and the most votes, but also the biggest share of the two-party preferred vote:
Australian Labor Party 5,342,795
Liberal/National Coalition 5,344641
So the independents must now consider the following facts.
The Coalition:
- won the most votes
- won the most seats, 73 to 72
- won the most votes, after preferences
- won the most support in the three independents’ seats, as measured by the Senate vote
- won the most support in the three independents’ seats, as measured by two polls since the election.
For the rural independents to now support Labor instead of the Coalition would be to defy the wishes of not only their own constituents but of Australia’s voters. It would also defy the very argument Gillard herself gave for deciding the winner.



Kind regards


Richard Gibbins
Vice Chairman
Leichhardt Federal Divisional Council
Liberal National Party of Queensland


And that's The Northern Truth!!