THE CROSSBENCH AND THE BALANCE OF POWER
THE CROSSBENCH AND THE BALANCE OF POWER: THE CHANGING FACE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF VICTORIA
Hon. Bruce Atkinson, MLC
is President of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia since 2010. First elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1992 as the Member for Koonung Province, he held that seat at the 1996, 1999 and 2002 elections. Following boundary changes, he was re-elected as a Member for the Eastern Metropolitan Region in 2006, 2010 and 2014. Prior to entering Parliament, he was a journalist, publisher and business consultant and held many local government positions including Mayor.
The changing face of the Victorian Legislative Council from Parliament to Parliament since constitutional reforms took effect in 20061 has impacted on the work and culture of the Council Chamber in various ways, both anticipated and unforeseen. While it is not the first balance of power situation in the Council since 2006, the 58th Parliament is the most diverse in terms of political representation and, when considered together with extensive changes to rules and practices in the House, the impact has been significant, and the ordinary flow of a sitting day has become a much more volatile prospect. In this article, the Crossbench refers to all Members other than Labor and Coalition (Liberal and National parties) Members. Composition of the House Victoria is currently in the third Parliament since constitutional changes came into effect in 2006, which saw the introduction of
proportional representation (PR) to the Legislative Council elections for the first time in the Council’s history. The expectation this change brought about, of a greater proportion of minor party, micro party and independent candidates gaining election to the Upper House, has increasingly manifested as the actual membership of the House. The composition of the Council has differed significantly across these three Parliaments, each with its own challenges. The constituent membership across each of the 56th, 57th and 58th Parliaments is shown in Table 1. Excepting the 57th Parliament, which delivered an unexpected government majority in the Upper House, the expectation of balance of power situations under PR has so far been realised. However, key differences between the composition of the 56th Parliament: the government party being the largest of four political blocs and requiring only two votes for a majority on any question; and the
56th Parliament (2006–2010) 57th Parliament (2010–2014)
58th Parliament: the opposition coalition (Liberal and National parties) formed the largest of seven political blocs, with the government needing seven votes for a majority on any question. The significantly more diverse political make-up of the 58th Parliament, coupled with the need of the Government to obtain support from a significant number of non-government Members on any given question, has delivered a unique and previously not experienced series of circumstances. One of the most significant impacts of the composition of the House played-out on the first day TABLE 1: Membership of the 56th, 57th and 58th Victoria Parliaments. *The Liberal and National Parties entered into Coalition in 2008, having terminated the previous coalition agreement in 1999. **Originally elected to the Shooters and Fishers Party, party name subsequently changed. ***Originally elected for the Democratic Labour Party, subsequently changed party membership. ****Originally elected for the Sex Party, party name subsequently changed.
58th Parliament (2014–present)
Labor (Government)
19
Coalition (Government) (Liberal) (Nationals)
21 (18) (3)
Labor (Government)
14
Coalition* (Opposition) (Liberals) (Nationals)
17 (15) (2)
Labor (Opposition)
16
Coalition (Opposition) (Liberal) (Nationals)
16 (14) (2)
Greens Democratic Labour Party
3 1
Greens
3
Greens Shooters, Farmers and Fishers** Australian Conservatives*** Reason Victoria **** Vote 1 Local Jobs
5 2 1 1 1
Total Members
40
Total Members
40
Total Members
40
The Parliamentarian | 2018: Issue Three | 203