It was impossible to miss his message to Mr Xenophon: “I’ve always had — I’m confident Nick would agree — a very professional dialogue with (him). But there’s a difference in this parliament to the last one. In the last parliament Nick Xenophon was one of eight voices. Now he has the balance of power on so many of these issues in the Senate. I think that does really bring a new responsibility and a new accountability to how these issues are dealt with.”
As a realist, Mr Morrison knows he can’t get everything. But, like Mr Porter, he needs to get enough to ensure a government with tolerable results and a nation that is actually going somewhere. How will Xenophon respond?
