No lifeline for PM, says Wilkie

If the federal government’s numbers change in the lower house, key crossbencher Andrew Wilkie says he’d be reluctant to throw Prime Minister Julia Gillard a lifeline.

Mr Wilkie ripped up his agreement with Ms Gillard after she reneged on a promise to introduce mandatory precommitment technology to tackle problem gambling by 2014.

He said the Gillard government was guilty of misconduct but it was not enough to force a mid-term change of government.

“I don’t think that alone was enough to change the government of the land,” he told ABC TV on Monday night.

Mr Wilkie said if a motion of no confidence comes before the House of Representatives in the next 18 months, he will have to “weigh it up on its merits”.

“The way I’m feeling right now is once bitten, twice shy,” he said.

He said Ms Gillard would not want to come crawling back should the numbers change in the lower house.

“I can’t see how I would throw her a lifeline,” Mr Wilkie said.

Community Affairs Minister Julie Collins defended Ms Gillard’s decision to renege on a deal with Mr Wilkie to introduce mandatory gambling precommitment.

She said the government was serious about tackling problem gambling.

“We want to act just as much as he does,” Ms Collins said.

Mr Wilkie said the government didn’t try hard enough to get the numbers for his pokies reforms.

WA Nationals MP Tony Crook, who has no poker machines in his electorate, was never lobbied, Mr Wilkie said.

“The government never wanted to get the numbers and now it doesn’t even appear to want to progress the watered-down reforms,” Mr Wilkie said.

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