Well, I think the underlying reason for the gridlock here aren't the actual coalitions and that they can't find compromise, but that it is a state-level/federal system, and that the upper house (made up from representatives of the states) can block certain things that are federal that passed the federal parliament, and the majorities often don't match and there is the bargaining for state-level issues with federal influence. Like for example the gay marriage law (well gay "life partnership" they couldn't call it marriage because there is marriage protection in the constitution that the highest court interpreted as only m/f), they had the majority for it in the parliament, but certain tax stuff would have needed a majority from the states as well, and in that house there was a conservative majority, so it got implemented unequal without certain tax benefits heterosexual marriage has. That kind of thing happens all the time.