The first rule of doing a deal is to talk about not doing a deal

by Mark Sawyer | Apr 19, 2022 | Lobbyland

Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have ruled out deals with Greens or independents in the event of a hung parliament after May 21.

Considering the combined support of the majors sits at historic lows (Coalition 35% ; Labor 36%, according to Newspoll), that crossbench might be a pretty crowded one.

While Morrison was content to warn of ‘‘chaos and instability’’ with independents, Albanese went one further and said Labor would seek to form government in its own right. ‘’There will be no deal with the independents and crossbenches,” he told a Queensland radio station.

 In a cack-handed way, the strategies of both make sense. The way we see it, Albanese is better placed than Morrison should the deal-making begin, while Morrison, admittedly playing a weak hand, is better off warning against it ever happening.

Deal-making will be complex, to say the least. The Greens won’t back the Coalition and will seek the wring as many concessions as possible out of a reluctant Labor. The independents might back the Coalition with a change of leadership (although that’s unlikely to be acceptable), and of course, a much more ambitious climate policy.

Mark Sawyer is a journalist with extensive experience in print and digital media in Sydney, Melbourne and rural Australia.

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