Daly: Abstaining from voting in Senate gives government majority
Martin Daly SC -
A former independent senator said the decision by independent senators to abstain from supporting the procurement legislation had the same effect of a yes vote.
Martin Daly, SC, said that the media and others portrayed the wrong information when it reported that the Government only needed support from one of the nine independent senators in order to pass the legislation last week.
"The Government was seeking a simple majority for its proposal. In that case, from the moment the first abstention on the final vote occurred, the Government was home and dry, even if all the opposition senators and the remaining eight of the nine Independents voted against the proposal," he stated.