FED:Gillard to front press club

AAP General News (Australia)
08-31-2010
FED:Gillard to front press club

CANBERRA, Aug 31 AAP - Prime Minister Julia Gillard will front the National Press Club
on Tuesday as the odds of being able to form government seem stacked against her.

Ms Gillard had been using the two-party preferred figures, which favoured Labor, to
talk up her chances of forming a minority government, with the support of independents.

But that card has now been taken out of her hands, with a Monday night vote count update
from the Australian Electoral Commission giving the coalition a lead of nearly 2000 votes
in two-party preferred terms.

The coalition has claimed 73 seats ahead of Labor's 72 seats as both struggle to woo
key independents all with separate wishlists.

Bookmakers Centrebet had shortened the coalition's odds of forming government from
$1.50 to $1.43 while Labor's odds had blown out from $2.50 to $2.70.

A punter placed $50,000 on the coalition to win at $1.50 in the biggest bet since polling day.

The Labor leader will front the press club in Canberra on Tuesday to reveal a set of
proposals for parliamentary reform designed to appeal to independents whose support is
crucial if she has any chance of continuing as prime minister.

Andrew Wilkie, the new independent member for the Tasmanian electorate of Denison,
has called for further meetings with Ms Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

Mr Wilkie has said he is keen to make a decision about whether he will back either
party or none as early as Tuesday.

He said the two-party preferred vote result did not matter.

"That's not relevant to me," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

Mr Wilkie has a long wishlist in his back pocket.

"What I am trying to achieve here is catch-up, I am not pork barrelling, I am trying
to achieve some equity for the people of Tasmania, for the people of Denison in particular."

Fellow independent Tony Windsor said he was doubtful a decision that would break the
political deadlock would be made before the end of the week.

"We've really just embarked on the process of information gathering ..." Mr Windsor
told ABC Radio.

Another independent Bob Katter will hand his wishlist to both parties on Tuesday.

Nationals leader Warren Truss was playing down his differences with Mr Katter saying
the pair had a history of co-operation despite the Kennedy MP's constant criticism of
him.

He also dug the boot into Labor's regional and rural credentials, saying they had counted
a Melbourne rail link to Werribee as regional.

AAP ah/apm

KEYWORD: POLL10 UPDATE

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