CANBERRA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Andrew Wilkie on Thursday said he has decided to back a Australian Labor minority government.
The MP for Denison in Tasmania, who holds balance of power in Parliament with the other three independents, made the announcement in Canberra on Thursday.
Wilkie said his support only extended to supply and votes of no confidence, and would consider all policies on merit.
"A future Labor government will have my vote on matters of supply, furthermore I will not support any unwarranted no confidence motion brought to bear against a future Labor government," Wilkie told a media conference in Canberra.
"I will approach every policy on its merits."
Wilkie said he had judged that Labor best met his criteria for the next government which must be stable, competent and ethical.
"There are many areas of the Australian Labor Party's policy platform that I have concerns about ... for instance their refugee policy," he said.
"But I will take every opportunity during the term of the government to champion the issues I care about and concerned about, and try and bring about reform that way."
One of Wilkie's priorities in negotiations was poker machine reform, in particular the introduction of uniform "pre-commitment" smart card technology.
