Greens to rush same-sex bill

Patricia Karvelas and Matthew Franklin | The Australian | 4th September, 2010

THE Greens will use their alliance with Labor to prosecute their push for same-sex marriage and liberalising the treatment of refugees by bringing forward their legislation and demanding it be debated, possibly with conscience votes, in the new parliament.

Greens leader Bob Brown confirmed his intentions yesterday as the Coalition warned that a returned Labor government controlled by the Greens would be the most radical in Australian political history.

In a sharp pitch to rural independents Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, who will determine as early as Monday whether Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott will form a government, opposition frontbenchers said the Greens would force Labor to restrict land use and abolish private health insurance subsidies.

Opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne last night told ABC's Lateline that Labor, by wooing the left-leaning Greens and the rural independents, was trying to "put together a coalition of the mongoose and the cobra".

In the wake of the Coalition's attacks, government sources insisted Labor's pact with the Greens, sealed earlier this week, did not bind it to support the minor party's agenda. Rather, it was only bound to deliver parliamentary reform and create a parliamentary committee to chart the course to put a price on carbon.

The assurances follow a week of intense negotiations aimed at resolving the political deadlock left by the result of the August 21 election, which produced a hung parliament.

During the week, the Prime Minister, scrambling for the 76 House of Representatives votes needed to form government, enlisted the support of Greens MP Adam Bandt as well as Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie.

Their commitments to support Labor budget bills and reject no-confidence motions brought the government's seat total to 74, with the Coalition still on 73.

This leaves Mr Katter, Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor to anoint the next government.

They will consider their positions over the weekend, with a new government likely to be in place by the middle of next week.

Senator Brown said yesterday Labor had agreed to work with the Greens to ensure private member's bills, seldom debated previously, would be properly considered in the new parliament. "This means important Greens bills to introduce equal marriage, end offshore processing of asylum-seekers or to abolish junk-food advertising during children's TV viewing hours can't be swept under the carpet by the Labor and Liberal parties," the Greens leader said in an email bulletin yesterday.

Mr Bandt, who won the seat of Melbourne, said he would introduce private member's bills and perhaps press for them to be the subject of conscience votes.

"During the election campaign, I said three of my top priorities were getting a price on carbon, seeing fairer treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers, and removing the discrimination facing same-sex couples," he told The Weekend Australian.

"If the agreement that's been reached holds and Julia Gillard becomes Prime Minister, then the crossbenchers, Greens and independents will have the right to introduce legislation on matters that are of importance to them."

However, Mr Bandt said he accepted Labor was not bound to support his legislation. "Whether we push for a conscience vote or whether we spend a year talking to parliamentarians and seeing if we can change their mind are now open questions," he said.

Earlier, opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb heaped pressure on the rural independents, saying it was "almost inconceivable" that they support Labor.

"It would be the most left-wing government in Australia's history if they take the reins next week," Mr Robb said. "We would see a carbon tax doubling electricity prices. We would be guaranteed that there would be a much bigger mining tax."

Labor would put restrictions on land use for agricultural and other purposes, and slash government funding of independent schools, Mr Robb said.

Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said Senator Brown would effectively become deputy prime minister if Labor retained office next week, warning that the Greens wanted to scrap the taxpayer-funded rebates for private health insurance.

Ms Gillard and the Opposition Leader did not make public comments yesterday, out of respect for the latest Digger to die in Afghanistan, Private Grant Kirby, whose funeral they attended.

The independents gave nothing away about their intentions.

Mr Oakeshott said he "quite genuinely and quite honestly" had not decided which party to support in minority government, while Mr Windsor said he was considering whether either side could deliver stable government. Mr Windsor conceded it would be easier for him to back a Coalition government, but he was adamant he would not be pressured by anyone to go either way.

"In terms of people in the electorate, that's the easy pathway," the New England MP said.

"But I've got to make a decision whether it's the best one. I haven't made that call yet." Mr Katter, releasing his 20-point wishlist on Thursday night, said that although he opposed the mining tax and a carbon price, it did not necessarily mean his list leant towards the Coalition, because he was also supportive of Labor's National Broadband Network. Mr Katter called for more government control over interest rates to keep the value of the Australian dollar down.

"Obviously a government that is heading in that direction (of the list) would be far more acceptable to me than a government that is heading away from that direction," the Kennedy MP said.

He said Ms Gillard had indicated things were not hard and fast, and there was room to move.