Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury wants a new deal, but he needs to be where the power is. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Last week saw a little strategic positioning by ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury, flagging a change in the power-sharing dynamic between his party and Labor.
Laura Nuttall’s comeback win in Brindabella was a fillip for the Green after looking on Saturday night that they could be down to just two in the new Legislative Assembly.
But now with four, Mr Rattenbury is given a stronger hand to play with.
There is no doubt the Greens felt a little dudded in the last term regarding the way ministries were carved up and allocated, although Mr Rattenbury can’t complain about holding down the Attorney-General’s job.
Chief Minister Andrew Bar hit back that you can’t always be the minister for good news, but the Greens did seem to have their fair share of bad news to deal with.
This time around, the question for them is, is it better to be inside the tent or not? Can they exert influence and have more leverage by not being part of the cabinet?
Superficially, the Greens lost two seats and should have less influence, but with Labor not improving on 10 and the Liberals stuck on nine, they will have a big say on how the numbers fall.
This is especially so if they sit outside of cabinet and find common ground with the Liberals and independents on individual issues.
It is something the Greens have done before, sitting on the crossbench where they can be less confined by Cabinet solidarity.
Mr Rattenbury immediately listed the Green agenda in the wake of Ms Nuttall’s victory – significant improvements on public housing, healthy environments, climate change and making Canberra a more affordable place to live.
In their minds, they are the trailblazers who can make seemingly unrealistic things happen but still be more pragmatic than their federal counterparts.
But it would be good if they quickly left the febrile atmosphere of the campaign behind and focused on more prosaic concerns.
That might calm those who won’t be thrilled at the thought of the Green tail wagging the Labor dog.
Whether it is in the best interest of the Territory for the now very experienced Mr Rattenbury to stay out of cabinet is debatable.
Mr Barr is down a minister with Mick Gentleman gone. Some have called him ineffectual, but Mr Gentleman did have experience across multiple portfolios.
Not having Mr Rattenbury to call on would shrink the talent pool and impose a heavier burden on the Labor team.
When it comes to the crunch, Mr Rattenbury should be where he can make the most contribution to the Territory as well as wield influence where it matters in cabinet.
The Assembly numbers will still give independents Thomas Emerson and Fiona Carrick opportunities to achieve good outcomes if they work issue by issue with the Greens – who look like they won’t operate as a bloc with Labor – and the Liberals, who have some soul-searching to do.
Despite the status quo numbers-wise being maintained in Brindabella, the big anti-Labor swing there has been noted, with Mr Barr indicating that the government will be paying much closer attention to the community’s needs in the south.
Two new Labor members who won’t want to be one-term wonders will be making sure the Chief Minister doesn’t forget.
It is imperative that the Liberals sort out its leadership and ideological issues quickly so it can be an effective opposition.
Here is something to think about. Only two candidates topped 9000 primary votes in the election – Mr Barr and the Liberals’ Mark Parton. Perhaps it’s time for the Mouth from the South to put his hand up.
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