The changing climate of Australian politics

Australia's most eventful election campaign for decades has resulted in its first hung parliament for 70 years. It could take two weeks of late counting and political horse-trading to work out precisely what it means. Despite the drama, it was also characterised as an election about nothing, because of the dearth of vision or bold ideas. So it is ironic that the outcome has radically changed Australian politics. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott will have to do deals with the Greens and independents if either is to form a stable government.

Both insisted the election was about economic management, which would have perplexed many. The country has enjoyed 19 years of sustained economic growth, without a recession, under long periods of rule by both parties. Debt amounts to 6 per cent of GDP, compared with 90 per cent in some advanced countries, and is projected to be wiped out within three years. If the economy was an issue, it had to be about laying the foundations for a future in which the country does not depend so heavily on exporting natural resources to China. But there was nothing visionary about infrastructure, competitiveness, creating an environment for innovation and enterprise, or about harnessing the potential of a rapidly growing multi-cultural population of 22 million through education. Gillard's proposed national high-speed broadband network is an exception - but former prime minister Kevin Rudd promised that three years ago.

Books will be written about Gillard's rapid rise and fall - or near-death experience - after she knifed Rudd at the behest of faceless party power brokers. It will be fascinating, too, to see how she, and Abbott, come to terms with climate change. She had a leading hand in dumping a promised emissions trading scheme when it became politically fraught - a major factor in Labor's loss of support - and he is not convinced that climate change is mankind's fault. Now they have no choice but to talk to people holding the balance of political power who believe it is and who will not compromise.