The Greens to flex their balance of power in the Senate...

Greens to deny Tony Abbott mandate to repeal carbon tax if Coaliton wins next election  - The Australian


I am unsure if the Greens are politically wise in painting themselves into a corner if a wily Abbott wins the next election with a mandate to remove the carbon tax. Abbott would relish the opportunity to use the carbon tax abolition as a double dissolution trigger.

It would be unlikely that Abbott would stand idly by while his legislation was mauled by a Green dominated hostile Senate. Without a double dissolution it is likely the Greens with retain the balance of power for at least two election cycles, so Abbott would be keen to demolish their strategy of Senate domination.

However, with a double dissolution the Greens would be in the sights of the electors and their actions would be the central issue. History shows that Governments that have a double dissolution on the issue of  a Government's mandate, usually get a majority in the Senate. Now that would be a scary outcome!

Author: Ross Parisi