The Australian Senate has, over many years, been a hindrance to the achievement of any worthwhile reform. There have even been calls for its abolition. Just before the last federal election there had been some reform in the vote for the senate but much more is needed. Consider the following table:
State | Population(1) | Senators | Per Senator |
New South Wales | 7,670,700 | 12 | 639,225 |
Victoria | 5,996,400 | 12 | 499,700 |
Queensland | 4,808,800 | 12 | 400,733 |
South Australia | 1,702,800 | 12 | 141,900 |
Western Australia | 2,603,900 | 12 | 216,992 |
Tasmania | 517,400 | 12 | 43,117 |
Northern Territory | 244,000 | 2 | 122,000 |
Australian Capital Territory | 393,000 | 2 | 196,500 |
Australia | 23,937,000 | 76 |
Each state has 12 Senators and 2 for each territory. When compared to populations of those states and territories it becomes quite obvious that Tasmania (43,117 people per Senator), South Australia (141,900 people per Senator), ACT (196,500 people per Senator) and Western Australia (216,992 people per Senator) are overrepresented. I understand that the Australian Constitution requires the same number of Senators for each state in order to protect states’ rights. Senators are just another component of their political party and special interest groups. Long ago they ceased being representative of states’ rights.
Democracy is about equality of representation, where each person’s vote is at least roughly equal to that of another. In the case of the Australian Senate this is definitely not the case. Why should it be that a state of 7.6 million (NSW) people has the same number of representatives as a state like Tasmania which only has a population of half a million (7.153 million people less than NSW)? All Australians should be eager to change.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, December 2015.