Minors, independents refuse early support for Labor or Liberals

The lack of a clear majority for either major party has been a near-constant feature of ACT elections since self-government, and only Labor has ruled in its own right, once in 2004.

That would put the spotlight directly on who the Greens, minor parties, or independents would support.

The Greens are far more likely to find themselves kingmakers, and have repeatedly stated they would not support a Liberal government unless it rethinks opposition to light rail.

But the Greens have also indicated they would be open to a range of different deals with Labor, including another coalition government, offering support but remaining on the crossbench, or a Tasmanian-style arrangement, which saw some members in cabinet and others on the crossbench.

"We wouldn't rule anything in or rule anything out at this stage. It is too early, we're not presumptuous enough to presume we'll be there," Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said.

Fairfax approached the vast majority of the seven minor parties and 17 independents standing in the ACT election, asking whether they would tend to support the ideologies of Labor or Liberals.

The overwhelming majority refused to declare a preference for either, and did not want to be associated with the major parties, saying both had ignored the community and lost all trust in the electorates.

Independent for Yerrabi David Pollard summed up the quandary facing him and fellow independents.

"It's a very common question. When people are voting for an independent, they want to know what that vote means," he said.

"But it's a terrible question for an independent to be asked, because should one win a seat, they want to be in a position to negotiate, and get the best for their electorate."

But Mr Pollard said voters had a right to know the leanings of independents before they headed to the polls, because it could determine who formed government.

He said he would be open to discussions of both sides, but did not want to waste money cancelling light rail, and did not agree with the Liberals on social issues, meaning a likely leaning towards Labor.

The chances of a minor party or independent winning a seat remains unlikely but not impossible in an electoral system typically dominated by the three major parties.

The Liberals formed government with the support of independents Michael Moore and Paul Osborne in 1995, and then with those two again and Dave Rugendyke in 1998.

The expansion of the assembly and the loss of the ACT's only seven-seat electorate make the task more difficult for independents and minors to get a quota.

Like Canberra's Tim Bohm, who said he would support the party that committed to high-speed rail, gave a frank assessment of his party's chances.

"We've got a better chance of being hit by a meteorite, quite frankly," he said.

Many independents – Leigh Watson, Kim Huynh, Andrew Holt, Vijay Dubey, Dave Edwards, Joel McKay, and Vanessa Jones, for example – do not support light rail, nor does Sustainable Australia, or the Liberal Democrats.

Like Canberra, the Animal Justice Party, and other independents are more circumspect, and want to see more evidence that light rail was well suited to Canberra before supporting it.

The Sex Party's Steven Bailey said he would favour the party that prioritises investment and infrastructure to Tuggeranong.

Mr Holt and Lea Zangl said they have more of a connection with the Liberals, but were far from openly supportive.

The vast majority expressed hostility to the major parties, and said they would lend support to the major party who addressed their policy demands.

Animal Justice Party ACT convenor Geoffy Pryor, for example, said:

"No, we're very independent. We don't believe any of the three major parties warrant our support in the election," he said.

"We've got severe concerns about the policies that they are putting up."

Canberra Community Voters, a minor party gaining prominence with an advertising campaign bankrolled by ClubsACT, says it would not support a Labor government with Andrew Barr as its leader, or a government that included Mr Rattenbury.

Party head Richard Farmer said it would be up to individual candidates, should they get in, to decide how they would act in the event of a hung Parliament.