The Wire

“Cliff hanger”, “knife’s edge” and “too close to call” are all terms you would have heard a lot if you were watching the election coverage on Saturday night. As the counting continues it’s now clear that Australia will have its first hung parliament in 70 years. Neither Labor or the Coalition were able to convince voters in large numbers that they were the ones to lead the country. Now one of the parties will need to form a minority government, with negotiations between the leaders and the elected independent members in full swing. But what does all this mean for democracy?