Senate – what’s the point?
Australia - 3/07/2005
I mentioned in a previous article that I don’t usually comment on political issues... oops!
On 1 July 2005, the Coalition took control of the Senate or "Upper House". This basically means that they have control over what laws, policies, etc are both proposed and then passed. There is no independent scrutiny, no softening of "radical" proposals, etc.
So one has to question, what is the point of the Senate at the moment? How much are we spending these politicians to rubber-stamp everything the Government puts forward?
Ideally the Senate would act independently of the House of Representatives or "Lower House" – irrespective of what political party was in control of either. There would be no obligations to tow the party line on issues. But I guess that wouldn’t look good as far as party coherence is concerned.
But ultimately it’s up to the general population of Australia. By electing the coalition in both the Lower and Upper Houses, Australians have basically said, "We trust the coalition to make the right decisions and are prepared to allow them to implement laws and policies without first being scrutinised by the Senate."
If that statement doesn’t sit true to you, perhaps you should consider how to vote at the next election.
We have non-mainstream parties such as the Democrats who were doing a good job at scrutinising the Lower House’s proposals. But things fell apart for them and they lost out at the last election. The Greens are there... somewhere.
While I probably wouldn’t want one of these parties governing the country, I think they play a vital role in the Senate. They appear to be far more in touch with the every-day population and would provide a "balance" when the Government is attempting to implement unpopular but important policies.
So at the next election, think about how you would like the government to operate – and not just which party you’re going to vote for. That way we’ll get the best "mix" in the lower and upper houses.
| Others' Views: Based on 6 votes |
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