Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has broken ranks with his fellow rural independents, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, by calling a solo press conference to announce he is backing the Coalition.
Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott will reveal their decision at 3pm.
"If at 3pm the independents decide to go Labor then I would respect the integrity of their decision, as I would also be respecting the integrity of the people of Australia's decision," Mr Katter said.
Mr Katter said his decision was based upon the responses of both major parties to his list of 20 areas of policy concern, which included issues such as carbon reduction, the mining tax, ethanol, the power of the major supermarkets, property rights and indigenous affairs.
He said that on eight of those 20 issues, the Coalition and its leader Tony Abbott had better policies, while Labor was superior on one, and on the remainder the difference was negligable or that both parties policies were unacceptable.
However, Mr Katter also lavished praise on Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan, and said that if the other independents chose to back Labor he would try to provide stability for them.
He also made the distinction that if Mr Abbott forms government, he would not be part of that government and would continue to vote and act as an independent.
He rejected overtures from both sides bearing the offer of become a cabinet minister, which he rejected as he wanted to remain independent.
Mr Katter said he had been very disappointed by the treatment of former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who had pleaded with him to support Labor.
Mr Katter said there was "enormous anger" over Mr Rudd's axing and his decision would have been different had he still been Labor leader.
‘‘Kevin’s thinking and my thinking are very similar, I’m very good friends with him," he said.
Mr Katter said the two had spent two nights together while he was ‘‘in agony’’ over the decision.
He said he did not know how Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott would vote.
Mr Katter’s decision means Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard are both now sitting on 74 of the 76 votes they need to form a minority government.
If they fall in behind Mr Katter, the Coalition will form government. If they both support Labor, then Julia Gillard will form government.
But if they split between the Coalition and Labor then the numbers in the new House of Representives would be tied at 75 apiece.
Mr Katter said he would respect Mr Windsor’s and Mr Oakeshott’s decision on which party they would back.
‘‘They have very moral convictions and they will follow through on those convictions,’’ he told reporters.
‘‘I will most certainly respect whatever decision they make.’’
Mr Katter said he had not told Prime Minister Julia Gillard or Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of his decision before calling the press conference.‘‘I haven’t told anybody at all,’’ he said.
He said his decision had not been tough to reach because it had just involved adding up the columns.
On issues such as broadband, the two sides were not far apart.
‘‘There were issues like the national energy grid where the Rudd government was responsible for that and they will go down in the history books,’’ he said.
‘‘But the other side agreed with it so there was no distance between the two.’’
Mr Katter said that if the Coalition did form government he would not be accepting any positions such as a Ministry or the deputy speaker's position.
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