Elections a chance for New England?

In a post on my personal blog,Three Amigos and the future Australian Government, I discussed the outcomes of the federal election as we know them to this point.

If, and it's still uncertain, Messrs Katter, Windsor and Oakeshott actually do end up with the balance of power, then we may have a chance to push New England causes. Two of the three come from New England, while Mr Katter both supports self-government for North Queensland and is also sympathetic to regional development. There is also a cross-bench National from WA who, so far, has been largely ignored by the media.

I often complain that New England needs are ignored. I also suggest that this is due in part to the way that existing structures work, fragmenting thinking and making it difficult to see common needs. Part of the answer to this problem lies in constitutional change. However, part also lies in our own capacity to articulate common needs and possible solutions.

The current more fluid political climate provides an opportunity to mount a push on broader New England issues. We need to take advantage of this. To do this, we need more debate about needs and possibilities.