Member for Bendigo Steve Gibbons will return to government after Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor backed the Labor Party yesterday afternoon.

Queensland independent Bob Katter broke away from the group earlier in the day, supporting the Coalition, which was later defeated 76 seats to 74.

Mr Gibbons said he was delighted with the news, but “could have strangled” Mr Oakeshott, who spoke for almost 15 minutes before declaring that he would back Labor.

“I’m delighted the Gillard government has been returned to office for another term,” Mr Gibbons said.

“This will be my fifth term – I’ve had three (terms) in opposition and three years in government.

“The worst day in government is still better than the best day in opposition.”

Mr Gibbons said the outcome of the election would result in more focus on regional Australia, and said proposed parliamentary reforms were positive.

He will head to a caucus meeting in Canberra tomorrow at which Ms Gillard is expected to make an announcement about the front bench.

“I haven’t put my name forward and I’m not anticipating anything,” Mr Gibbons said.

“It’s a big job I’ve got to pursue with my fifth-term agenda and I want to focus on that.”

Bendigo La Trobe University politics lecturer Ardel Shamsullah said a minority government backed by independents was a new concept for Australia as a country, but had been happening at a state level for the past 20 years.

“Through this process we’ve found more Australians are fed up with party politics, this adversarial system where leaders are at loggerheads,” Dr Shamsullah said.

“With this system in parliament, both the House of Representative and Senate levels have to negotiate, put aside party politics.

“In two or three years’ time Australian electorates might come to decide that a minority government is not a bad thing.”

While there have been some claims that the independent MPs will lose votes over their decisions, Dr Shamsullah said that historically, in a state setting, independents had thrived in later elections.

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