I won't be so conceited as to assert my view why I believe Australian Voters voted as they did. I can only tell my own story of an 78 year old who has never voted conservative in my life. My lifetime experiences preclude that I could ever betray my fellow wage earners by installing a Government that pretends to serve for all Australians but inevitably, time after time been obsessed with maintaining surpluses at the expense of services and infrastructure and favour Big Business and Privatisation.
My vote has always been for whom I consider as the best candidate to serve the people and has always trickled down to Labor.
I would prefer an optional preferential system but have to work with what we've got.
This time, I canvassed my Labor representatives on four issues requesting their policy before the election.
1. On having the courage to act humanely on Asylum Seekers and to stop using them as a political football
2. The Withdrawal of Australian Troops from Afghanistan and the development of an independent Australian Foreign Policy instead of being drawn into American Military Adventures.
3.The restoration of the Racial Discrimination Act and the abandonment of the Intervention unless Aboriginal Communities were involved and properly consulted at all times.
4.Withdrawal of all support for the Zionist Apartheid Regime in Israel and call for support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions policy in response to the genocide being practiced in Gaza & the West Bank.
I got no response to any of the questions.so I voted Green

Hear Ye, hear ye all of little faith. Once upon a Dream time, in the legendary Land of Oz - down under, amongst the heathens and fairy penguins, there liveth an unruly mob who cast spells, spruik profanities and worship pagan idols. Amongst them, rose a mighty David, who spoke an Asian tongue, and slew the Liberal Goliath Howard, with a slingshot named MacKew. Verily, I say to thee; " What goes round, comes round ".

Lo, and behold, in their midst, those among the fawning Gentiles, young David became besotted with drunken power - feeding the hoi polloi with fists-full of worthless shekels, and kow-towing to fallen angles of Union thuggery. In his awesome journey's abroad, he trampled on all beneath him; walking on water; and sowing seeds of discontent among the faithful. Out of the doom & gloom,his holy anointed cast lots to removeth him. Thence, the day drawth close, they stabbed him, Brutus like. The Messiah; who walkth on water; prayed in the Temple daily; fed the masses; and healed the poor and disadvantaged, was cast asunder, unto the naked wilderness !

The Day soon cometh, when for 30 pieces of silver brought forth a Judas in red hair, called Gillard, who trumpeth and sang praises of Glory & Hosannas unto all who would listen. There cometh thence, a Day of atonement and resurrection, whence the masses cast their votes, unto the Sabbath, to whom it will reignth in the Land of Oz, unto a double dissolution.

Verily, for the good and for the sake of Wisdom, and sound judgement, whom-so-ever presides in the Holy Temple, and partakes of the Tabernacle, on the banks of Lake Burley Griffith's, far from the sea, shall have their fill.

Behold thence, all who liveth in this fair Land of Oz, join with me, to sing Hosannas, and be blessed forever - as is written in the sands of time, then so be it.

Amen.

No, Houellebecq.
It is you who are confused. The points you discuss are not mutually exclusive.
I think Dr Wilson's general argument, that voters do not collectively confer in order to achieve an election result (a conjecture made in media) is sound. That '[a] hung parliament is an opportunity for Australia to break free of the domination of the two major parties' is also true, if they have the wisdom, which I doubt.
However, there is no guarantee that the leaks Dr Wilson mentions reflected any 'truth' and they can tell us nothing about Gillard, although we may form an opinion about the leaker/s.
My other quibble with Dr Wilson's piece is that she appears to have fallen for yet another of Abbott's red herrings, that is the 'spectre' of the Better Education Revolution and 'the pink batts'. Both these schemes did a great deal of good. In only a very small minority of cases were there problems (albeit quite disastrous in at least one case). While shonky fly-by-nighters took advantage of both schemes, thereby depriving more of their benefits, the schemes themselves were worthy and timely.
Despite these minor points, I agree with Wilson.

Dear Hecate
Thank you for your thoughtful reading of the article.

I agree with your observation on the positive aspects of the BER, pink batts etc. I listed those issues as examples of public grievances(albeit unjust) against the government that contributed to its downfall.

But there is no doubt that the initiatives did a great deal for the economy, and as you point out, the positive aspect was over-shadowed by Abbott's negative campaign against them.
Jennifer.

I amazes me that with my crummy English as a CONSTITUTIONALIST I seem to be the only person who really understand/comprehend what is constitutionally appropriate, see my blog at http://www.scribd.com/InspectorRikati for a set out of the relevant constitutional matters regarding this issue of commissioning a person to form a government. Who will form the next government has nothing to do with the majority in the Parliament as it is a prerogative power exercised by the Governor-General and so WITHOUT the advise of the Prime Minister!
Neither Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott or for that anyone else elected for the House of Representatives are Members of Parliament until after the return of the writs when they take up a seat! There is no hung Parliament because the only members are the Senators at this time. And, back in 1901 E. Barton was commissioned to form a government without any Parliament existing and was subsequently elected. Don’t confuse the role of a government with that of the Parliament, and I for one having campaigned for long for electors to vote for INDEPENDENTS to bring about a lesson to the major political parties am satisfied they are getting their message.
On 19 July 2006 I defeated comprehensively the Commonwealth that compulsory voting is unconstitutional and while I do not oppose voting I oppose any form of compulsory voting and the Court upheld my cases! This my blog also displays. Voting is our constitutional rights but in the way we desire and not hijacked by politicians dictating how we should vote! See also my website http://www.schorel-hlavka.com