Two more crossbenchers, Cathy McGowan and Andrew Wilkie, have given Malcolm Turnbull assurances they will back his government on supply and confidence.
The idea of hitting voters with a powerful message on election day is just the culmination of three trends in Australian campaign communication that have been brewing for decades.
The political and fiscal vice in which Malcolm Turnbull is now caught was neatly illustrated by a coincidence of timing in these early post-election days.
There’s something about seeing the ballot process take place – the vote, the count – that inspires confidence. That wouldn’t be the same with any electronic voting system.
Crossbencher Bob Katter has given his support on supply and confidence to a Coalition government after a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Brisbane.
Given newspapers’ continued role as the main provider of new news every day, and the amplifying effect of social media, their potential to influence the body politic remains substantial.
Within the Coalition the only cheer is among the Nationals who could actually gain one in their numbers at an election where the government has lost a swag of seats.
Workers in the gig economy have to deal with labour insecurity but they also take on more risk by using their own money to buy the tools they need to work.
Pauline Hanson and her party will potentially be a divisive presence in the next parliament. The challenge, for a potential Coalition government in particular, will be just how to handle her.
Malcolm Turnbull is struggling to produce the right response in the aftermath of his election debacle. On Saturday he did not take on any blame and lashed out at Labor’s “Mediscare” tactic. On Tuesday…
Malcolm Turnbull has taken ‘absolutely full responsibility’ for his criticised election campaign, and declared the Coalition must rebuild public trust in itself on the issue of Medicare.
Scare campaigns only work if there is some anxiety to build on. Labor’s Medicare campaign plugged into a long history of Coalition ambivalence – or open hostility – towards Medicare.
The irony of stridently warning people against voting for minor players and then, all charm, ringing those players when you personally might need their votes may be lost on Malcolm Turnbull.