Julia Gillard set to form new government in Australia
By IANSTuesday, September 7, 2010
SYDNEY - The ruling Labor in Australia has won the support of two independent MPs to get the numbers to form a minority government, paving the way for Julia Gillard to continue as prime minister.
The independents, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, announced their decisions, with Oakeshott being the last to signal his position to back incumbent Julia Gillard as prime minister, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Oakeshott said: “This is not a mandate for any government”.
“This parliament is going to be different.”
The decision came after 17 days of protracted negotiation between the independents and the two leaders - Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard.
Windsor said both sides had offered generous packages to support health, education and infrastructure for regional communities.
The independents’ support gives Gillard the narrowest of margins in the 150-member House of Representatives, bringing to 76 the number of MPs willing to support Labor.
Windsor said providing stability for the country had been another key factor in his decision. “If a government is formed, how long could it last and that is a key deliberation in our view,” he said.
