Hung Parliament Will Benefit Authoritarian Regimes: Australian MP Warns

Liberal backbencher Tim Wilson makes a statement in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 21, 2019. AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

A hung Parliament will cause division and hand an advantage to Australia’s adversaries, Tim Wilson, the federal MP for Goldstein has warned.

“Authoritarian governments want our country to turn inward, so they could advance their interests. While we are distracted and a hung Parliament would deliver just that distraction,” the MP said in a video published on social media.

“Some candidates even want a hung Parliament because it will empower themselves. Australia simply can’t afford the weakness and division of a hung Parliament right now.”

Wilson is a member of the “Wolverines,” a cross-party group of federal parliamentarians who have been vocal on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s threat and aim to push back against Beijing’s influence in Australia.

The name originated in the 1984 film Red Dawn, in which an American high school group defended their town from a Soviet invasion.

MP Tim Wilson speaks to Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe at the House of Representatives Economics Committee at Parliament House on February 07, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

The incumbent centre-right Coalition government has been building on its strong stance on Beijing in the campaign, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton repeatedly claiming that the centre-left Labor Party would be soft on the communist regime.

One of the likely outcomes of the upcoming federal election on May 21 is a hung Parliament where no political party can achieve a majority to govern outright (a party must win 76 seats), instead, party leaders will be forced to negotiate a coalition with another minor party or independent to cross the benchmark to win government.

A hung Parliament has only occurred once in Australia since World War II. In 2010, both the Coalition and Labor landed 72 seats, four votes short of a majority government. It took another 17 days before Labor leader Julia Gillard won enough support from four crossbenchers after striking deals with them.

“A hung Parliament will sack astray of its strength and undermine decision making,” Wilson said. “Because global economic risks are real, and they’re already impacting the cost of living and interest rates. We need a government with prudent and responsible instincts because without a strong economy, we cannot provide the essential services Australians depend on.”