I spent election day handing out how to vote cards. What struck me about the experience the general disillusionment among voters with politicians in general and the major parties in particular. I am not disappointed at the fact that we have a hung parliament but we should not lose sight of the fact that we elected these people to do a job and that job is to look after the interests of all Australians. It is for this reason that I am puzzled at the preoccupation in the media with the notion that the independents are faced with the choice of either enabling a Coalition Government or a Labor Government. There is a third choice: a government of national unity. A government of national unity would reflect the wishes of the voters - we have rejected the notion that we want to be governed by either Labor or the Coalition for we have seen what that is like and believe that we can do better. The way could be made to work is if the house of representatives elected the most capable people in the house to form the ministry; given that there would be no ministers in the Senate it would mean that the Senate could function as it was supposed to - protect the interests of the country as a whole against the temptation of pork barreling in the more populous states.

Let's face it Baygon,if Tony Abbott had not been caught in his budgie smugglers,then Parliament would not have been so well hung.

BAYGON I too handed out HTV probably for a different party the ALP.
My thoughts are not unlike yours.
Here they are 2 weeks into the campaign it was an ALP victory.
Then the leaks, even I thought we had trouble ahead.
My booth was a close to the sea one.
outcomes had always [we had the booths history] been ALP.
fishermen, well of second homers and welfare voters make up the rest.
Labor was to be punished that was clear from first voter.
Greens clearly got the ALP protest and just as clear the not quite sure what its about vote.
Liberals trotted in looking like they Had already won.
Labor sent us instructions what to say to voters? even my lefty booth Cap said no to that, some 20 year old kid, it happens every election made those silly things up.
We ran a shocker, every time these kids miss use members , I once got the task of nailing posters to sticks while a bus loaded with unionists letter boxed and got lost, in my area, I was 100 klm away in HQ nails in hand
Voters did not trust us or them, greens got votes they never will again if we get 3 years before an election.
PS running me and the lost was the 18 year old son of the candedate, she lost 4% off our vote.

BAYGON,
A government of national unity is a fantasy as the big two and the little two would never be able to swallow their pride and arrogance. What a come down it would be for them having to co-operate with each other and do the right thing. What we need is a way of truly punishing our poli's a way to have them sacked and and not allowed to stand again for incompetence. Not workable i know, but the biggest fear i have is that the current situation with it's possibilities will be lost due to game playing from the lib's and lab's. We have already seen the lib's at it and then have to back down, it is looking more like a race to the next election and which party can control the damage enough to win so that things can go back to normal. This should be a landmark change in the putrid political scene in Australia.
Belly,
since the election your posts have been frantic and confused. Your constant attacks on the Greens shows us that labor really has not learned anything from the battering they got at the election. It's all someone else's fault isn't it, The Greens, QLD or NSW labor lies of the opposition. The fact is labor would have won if their record was good enough, they should appreciate that the electorate didn't fall to the old three card trick and give Abbott power but have handed you a grand opportunity to redeem yourselves and do something truly outstanding and nationally unifying.

My perception is that we now have reached an equilibrium of the two work forces. The revenue producing & the revenue using hence the clear cut numbers. It is now up to one or two of the independents to realise this & then give the Conservatives the go ahead to govern. Simply because we need an economic pick-up & clearly Labor can not achieve that. The conservatives have proven time & time again that they can. The choice can not be any more obvious.

My views have not changed not one bit.
Before the election, in my first post after Rudd I said I do not trust Gillard.
But thought she would govern well.
I have for a very long time considered the greens lead by Brown a threat not a promise.
The man is a radical and frightens me.
While great numbers played out the unhappiness with Labor by voting green they wasted votes, many NSW seats did not need preferences ,people who thought their vote would go to Labor helped conservatives win seats.
Greens, tell me I am wrong, stopped any ETS getting up, voted with Abbott on this.
Tell me no more than 15% of this country's voters have the right to say what will happen to this country's next three years.
A DD election ,full senate too, can save this country even if the mad monk wins power.
See that rude silly man from the dead FF party, understand the fool says he may not pass any bill for Labor.
Those who childlike say Labor has moved too far to the right, that the greens are the new Labor,betray their own roots.
Middle class higher education radical but unconnected to middle Australia Labor should not bend to the greens ever.
I want to remind ALP voters Brown said he did not like preference deals, without doubt this meant many did not preference us.
Leave the greens if you can last and fill in all boxes in the senate greens second last, unless you want to end our defence ties with America stop selling coal the list is long and if you care look closely at the greens.