Shaw show set to shadow Vic govt
Rebel MP Geoff Shaw will haunt the Victorian government for the next 90 days until the state election after its failed bid to oust him.
The independent balance-of-power MP failed to withhold his displeasure at Premier Denis Napthine's doomed move to expel him on Thursday, labelling him a bully who had "lost the plot".
With only six parliamentary sitting days until the November 29 election, the Shaw show is showing no sign of let up.
Labor did not support the government motion to boot out Mr Shaw, arguing it was a stunt.
But in a stunt of its own, the party that three months earlier was calling for Mr Shaw's scalp voted with him to keep him in the parliament.
The move was designed to ensure the Shaw-led disruption continues to plague the minority government, which is flagging in the polls, in the lead up to the election.
Monash University's Zareh Ghazarian says Labor's stunning backflip, criticised by the coalition, achieved its aim in causing chaos for the government.
"This doesn't really cost Labor much political capital, rather I think it was a bit of a cheeky move," he told AAP.
It's the second time Mr Shaw has survived an attempt to expel him from parliament, after a Labor motion failed in June.
But the political benefit of trying to turf Mr Shaw so close to an election was lost on Dr Ghazarian.
He says the government had the chance to deal with Mr Shaw when he made his apology for misusing his entitlements two days ago.
"That really should've been the end of the matter because the Victorian government only has about two weeks of parliament left," Dr Ghazarian said.
"They have spent enough time on this thing to let it just die down by itself."
The premier's expulsion move was fuelled by a belief Mr Shaw's apology to the parliament for misusing entitlements was insincere, after he labelled the process a farce.
Labor said any bid to expel Mr Shaw should've been made three months ago.
Of course, Mr Shaw's expulsion at that time would've sparked a by-election in the marginal seat of Frankston, which Labor was likely to have won, months before the general election.
One thing is certain until the election: Mr Shaw's staying power.
As an independent his vote will continue to be crucial in determining whether legislation opposed by Labor gets passed and his presence is a thorn in the government's side.
"He's done an amazing job of having the political spotlight fixed on him for a long time and part of that, of course, is his behaviour," Dr Ghazarian says.
"But I think it's the way the government has dealt with him that has just fuelled the flame that is Geoff Shaw.
"They just haven't been able to deal with him effectively."
The government has denied the long-running dispute with Mr Shaw has damaged the coalition in the public's eyes.
But it says it has no intention of negotiating with Mr Shaw to get legislation through.
"Has the whole saga been a distraction? Yes it has," Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said.
"But we've drawn a line under it today."
Just how the Shaw show resonates with voters in three months time remains to be seen.
