ELECTION 2010: Abbott rejects threat from Steve Fielding to derail a Labor minority government

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has rejected a threat from Family First Senator Steve Fielding that may look to derail a Labor minority government by siding with the Coalition to block all legislation.

Fielding looks highly likely to lose his Victorian senate seat following the Federal Election, but would still remain in parliament until the new senate is sworn in on July 1, 2011.

In a radio interview, Fielding said he felt the electorate had delivered a “slap in the face” to Labor at last week’s poll, and said if Labor was able to form a minority government he would have to consider blocking “everything” Labor tried to do by voting with the Coalition.

The man who will hold the balance of power in the Senate, Greens leader Bob Brown, immediately issued a challenge to Opposition leader Tony Abbott over Fielding’s threat.

“The question immediately goes to Tony Abbott. Will he repudiate this ‘I might block everything’ attitude in the Senate? In particular, will he guarantee supply, the appropriations legislation in the Senate in the coming year?” Brown said this morning.

Abbott quickly moved to do just that, confirming through a spokesman that the Coalition would guarantee supply if it ends up in Opposition.

Three seats remain in doubt in the election count: the Western Australian seat of Hasluck, the Victorian seat of Corangamite and the seat of Brisbane in Queensland’s capital.

With the Liberal Party is tipped to grab Hasluck and Labor expected to win Corangamite, all eyes are now on Brisbane, which had originally looked like slipping from the grasp of sitting MP Arch Bevis, who has held the seat for 20 years.

Final counting is not expected to conclude until next week, although lower house independents Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott will return to Canberra on Monday to re-start negotiations with the major parties about forming a minority government.