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SYDNEY: Australia's conservatives Friday agreed to a key demand from minority lawmakers central to determining who will take power, after the closest elections in decades left the nation in political deadlock.
Tony Abbott, head of the Liberal/National coalition, agreed to hand over his policies for scrutiny by the Treasury in a bid to woo the four independents and Greens member of parliament Adam Bandt who will decide whether he should take power.
Abbott put the "kingmaking" MPs offside this week by rejecting their request that public officials do a feasibility study of his election promises, with one warning him he was "dicing with death".
Both he and Prime Minister Julia Gillard failed to secure the 76 seats needed for an outright majority, and neither side can form government without winning over at least some of the minority lawmakers.
Abbott achieved a remarkable weekend comeback at the polls to come within a whisker of claiming office, and he offered an olive branch Friday by agreeing to submit his plans.
The agreement means that negotiations can continue into next week, as the last postal and provisional votes are counted.
Abbott currently holds 73 seats to Gillard's 72, but Bandt is widely expected to side with the prime minister, bringing them to a 73-seat dead heat.
A straight-talking, fitness fanatic better known for his brief swimsuits than diplomatic skills, Abbott declared his backdown a "win" because he had managed to secure a ban on his plans being released to Gillard or her deputy.
"There can now be a full and fair briefing of the independent members of the policies and costings of the coalition and of the Labor party," Abbott said.
"On that basis I hope the independent members will be able to come to a position as soon as possible as to which side of parliament is worthy of backing."
Whether the independents chose to go public with the information was a "matter for them", but Gillard said she thought they should be able to "freely and publicly report" on the basis for their decisions.
"I believe every Australian should have access to those costings. I think that is fundamental to the national interest," she said.
"I'm asking Mr Abbott to be as transparent, open and honest with the Australian people as I am prepared to be," she added.
Abbott refused to give his policies to the Treasury throughout the election campaign and instead had them assessed by a private firm, after a leak identified an 800-million-dollar (700 million US) black hole in his promises.
Gillard said her ruling Labour party was "happy to be transparent" about its policies and their impact on the budget bottom line, and had been "every step of the way".
Once either Gillard or Abbott brokers a deal with the Greens and independents for the seats they need to hold a majority in parliament, Queen Elizabeth II's representative in Australia, Quentin Bryce, will swear in the next government.
Solicitor-General Stephen Gageler Friday ruled that Bryce, the governor-general of Australia, did not have a conflict of interest if called in to resolve the unusual impasse because her daughter was married to a Labor MP.
"My advice to Her Excellency is that the marriage of her daughter to (Bill) Shorten gives rise to no constitutional or other legal impediment to the proper discharge of her functions of office," Gageler said.
-AFP/wk
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