Saturday's election result demonstrates Canberra's clear and firm support for leftist political parties and rejection of the conservative side of politics. It demonstrates support for the light rail project, which was the central and much-argued difference between Labor and Liberal and Andrew Barr is justified in claiming a mandate for it.
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Labor's strongest vote was in Yerrabi, the electorate based on Gungahlin. It is clear the people on Gungahlin want their tramline. At the next election, in 2020, the voters of Woden are likely to be equally as enthusiastic, with a contract to be signed to build that extension of the tramline in the next term of government. Liberal commentators are making much of a tale of two cities - a conservative vote south of the lake and a progressive vote north. The reality is probably not as pronounced as they would like to think but to the extent that the divide exists, it will be markedly less in 2020 when the tramline snakes south. That can only cement Labor's vote.
The result perhaps also gives credence to Mr Barr's narrative of a significant block of voters whose involvement in the day to day political debate is negligible. These voters support Labor and will vote for Labor, largely irrespective of the intricacies of any particular debate and with little interest in the questions of probity and process that occupy protest groups, lobby groups, the politically active and others who are more closely involved.
The result once again puts the Greens in the hot seat. The Greens are certain of one seat and might win two, with an outside chance at three. They will have a choice to make.
Shane Rattenbury could accept a ministry in the Barr Cabinet as he has done for the past three years. With a ministry comes power and the ability to influence decision-making at a broad and detailed level. You have a directorate (or more) at your command. But as Mr Rattenbury has experienced in the past four years, a place at the cabinet table brings a suite of uncomfortable, even unedifying, compromises.
His other choice is to sit on the crossbench, where he, and any colleagues sitting with him, would have the casting vote on each piece of legislation. Labor has not won majority government. It falls one (or at most two) seats short.
It is from the crossbench that the Greens could force the establishment of a corruption commission, form the backbone of a more active committee inquiry system, and achieve a range of other reforms to improve transparency and probity by teaming up with the Liberals on individual votes. It remains to be seen whether they have the stomach for that. Mr Rattenbury has now experienced life on the inside and is unlikely to want to take a back step.
