The conundrum that must be squarely faced is 1988’s defeated take-it-or-leave-it constitutional amendment that rolled in a shorter term for the upper house.
Already a subscriber?When the framers of Australia’s Constitution, meeting at the federal convention of 1897-98, committed to a three-year term for the House of Representatives, they followed the constitutional procedure of the majority of Australia’s colonies. They briefly considered a four-year term.
In the 19th century, democratic innovations were under discussion around the world. Short parliamentary terms were considered democratic, and they were rare.The United States, culturally suspicious of government, had two-year House of Representatives terms. In the UK in 1837, the radical Chartists, with wide popular support, had argued for annual parliaments, but more moderate reformers favoured three years.
Section 28 of the new Constitution reflected Australia’s reputation as a democratic “laboratory”. In addition to short parliamentary terms, the Constitution included popular election for both houses of parliament and the referendum for constitutional amendment.has supported calls for a four-year House of Representatives term.
Australian voters may be persuaded that longer parliamentary terms make good sense, but they are likely to be wary of changes to the Senate, which, if anything, has become more popular than the House, and perhaps even considered more trustworthy.
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