The Wire

It was a testing time for the Government today in the Lower House as independent MPs threatened briefly to flex their muscles. But, says Dr Nick Economu from Monash University, we have an extensive culture of political negotiation which has been enhanced by the coalition government. He says cross benchers have been assisting, rather than hindering, the Gillard government, which he expects to take a more adventurous outlook as the Greens gear up to control the Senate next July.