Peter Ross <Petros.Listig@fdrive.com.au> wrote:
Of course,just that the government has not the numbers in an elected senate.
The demand to "obey" a perceived "mandate given by the Australian people" is bullying.
It's just political rhetoric, unlikely to influence opposition Senators.
I heard this "mandate thing" so often from Abbott's mouth that someone finally should shut him up - legislation is a bit harder than that, and he is for years droning about the "mandate" people have or do not have, quite often amplified by Murdoch's hate press.
It's quite possible that the government is preparing to dissolve both houses of Parliament in the event that the Senate doesn't pass certain proposed laws. The rhetoric could in part be preparatory to the election that would then follow. Of course, it's always politically risky to do this, and I expect the current government - like its predecessors - to avoid resorting to such a procedure if agreement can be reached with the newly constituted Senate after July 1, even if that requires policy compromises.
The elections prove otherwise, and there is process and rules to follow, even for notorious ignorant politicians as Abbott.
I'm sure he knows very well what the procedures are and how to follow them. The rhetoric is most likely intended to reinforce support for Coalition policies among voters, and thereby to exert political pressure on the opposition.