Australians have waited enough
It's time Labor or the Conservatives reached a deal or called new elections
For the past two weeks, the people of Australia have been waiting to see just who will form the next federal government in Canberra.
The recent federal election there resulted in a hung parliament, with neither the Labor Party under Julia Gillard nor a Conservative coalition under Tony Abbott managing to secure the necessary 76 seats for a majority in the 150-seat chamber.
And for the past two weeks, both political leaders have been engaging in nothing more than horse-trading with the four independent MPs who hold the key to power.
This impasse has gone on long enough. It's time either to strike a deal or call new elections. It is simply impractical for the nation to stagger forward without leadership, direction and authority.
Today, the remaining three independents will likely commit finally to either side. On Wednesday, the Greens threw their support behind Gillard. But even with that support, she remains unlikely to change course on imposing a moderate tax on Australia's mining corporations.
The August 21 ballot was hardly a ringing endorsement for the Labor Party for the manner in which Gillard deposed former prime minister Kevin Rudd. But Gillard deserves an opportunity to rule, her ambition notwithstanding.
