Gavin in the Senate
The Senate is one of the two houses of the Australian Federal
Parliament. It consists of 76 Senators, twelve from each of
the six states and two from each of the mainland territories.
It has virtually equal power to make laws with the other House
of Parliament, the House of Representatives. It is elected
by proportional representation on a state and territory basis,
so that its composition closely reflects the voting pattern
of the electors in those areas.
The framers of the Constitution intended that the primary
role of the Senate would be to protect the interests of the
less populous states in the federal Parliament by giving equal
representation to all states. Soon after federation however
parliamentarians began to vote as members of political parties
rather than as representatives of states. This has meant that
the role of the Senate as a protector of the less populous
states has vanished and now we see the state-based system
of representation has ensured that political parties and independents
can gain representation on a state basis, meaning the importance
of political support in the less populous states has grown.
Under the current model the Senate has also assumed greater
importance as a check on the power of the government of the
day.
The effectiveness of these processes in holding the government
accountable to the Parliament has increased in recent decades
because the government rarely possesses a Senate majority.
This is largely a consequence of the adoption by the federal
Parliament in 1948 of a system of proportional representation
for Senate elections. This system helps ensure that parties
gain representation in proportion to their share of the vote.
This, combined with the state and territory basis of the voting
has consequently meant smaller parties and independents (especially
from the smaller states) have gained significant representation
in the Senate. As a result, the government must win support
from non-government Senators, usually the minor parties and
independents, before the Senate will agree to pass a government
bill. On the other hand, if the opposition party or coalition
is able to gain the support of the minor parties and independents,
the Senate may reject or amend government bills. It may undertake
activities which do not have the support of the government:
for example, it may direct a Senate committee to inquire into
particular government activities, legislation or policy.
The Senate fulfils its role as a check on government by scrutinising
bills, delegated legislation, government administration, and
government policy in general. It does this by way of procedures
utilised in the Senate chamber itself and through the operation
of the Senate committee system. For further information on
Senate committees, please refer to http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/com-list.htm.
As a Senator I take part in the Senate and Joint House Committee system and I am currently involved in the following committees:
— Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (Chair)
— Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
— Senate Standing Committee on Publications
— Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security
— Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services
This has seen me scrutinise many pieces of government legislation,
receive public submissions and consult with constituents as
well as looking at ways in which we can improve legislation
and protect the civil rights and liberties of all Australians.
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