Is this the kind of thing that could cause the opposition parties to demand a general election...citing "instability"..."lack of confidence",etc?
They haven’t got the numbers to force a vote of no confidence.
But honestly - if Julia Gillard is elected, we want her to have some time in office before the election.
At the moment, most people think she’s pretty moderate - she’s had to work within Rudd’s rules, and her primary ministerial responsibility has been education, where Australian voters tend to tolerate left wing ideas more.
She’s actually a former Communist (she was a member of a hard left group as late as 2002), far more to the left than most people probably realise right now.
I actually quite like her in a lot of ways - she’s hard working, honest, and dedicated to this country. I just think she’s wrong - really wrong - and I think most voters will agree.