Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Well, Senator MacDonald, you may call it ‘hanging on to power’; it is called a decision of the House of Representatives about who should form a government in accordance with our democratic traditions and the rules of our Constitution. That decision having been made, the government has set about looking to implement its commitments to the Australian people and working through those over time as we settle back into a second term of government. Clearly, these will be difficult times in the parliament and managing legislation through the parliament. Not having a majority in either house will put particular strains on the government in delivering its agenda. But we have indicated we intend to work in a very positive way with all parties in the parliament to try and achieve our objectives and the commitments that have been made to the Australian people.

We include in that the coalition, who we expect to act responsibly and assist the government in passing legislation that is in the national interest and helps us deliver on the commitments made. We are very much focused on delivering. We are aware that there will be certain constraints placed on us as a result of the balance in both chambers of the parliament, but we will work with everyone to try to make sure that we are able not only to deliver stable government, which we are committed to, but also to deliver on our commitments to the Australian people.