Should Senate Be Abolished Research Paper

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SHOULD THE SENATE BE ABOLISHED? I INTRODUCTION The Senate has been one of the most contested and over-analysed areas of the Australian political system. The more controversial of the two houses, it was greatly debated even before the inception of the Parliament and is likely to continue to be a point of debate in the future. This essay will examine the question as to whether the senate should be abolished or retained. It will draw upon the main values of Australian Public Law to suggest that … In section I, the essay will cover the background and role of the Senate. Section II covers an explanation on the unicameral parliament as an alternative. In section III the Senate’s implications on a representative and responsible government is examined. This essay concludes that while the Senate may be inefficient and expensive it affords representation to the states and protection for the populace that overshadow any arguments that it ought to be abolished. II BACKGROUND Australia owes its bicameral structure to its heritage that the federal government was formed from a collection of independent English colonies (now states). Each state was and remains comprised of a …show more content…

An upper house is critical to ensure that those state rights are not diminished without consent. Australia is a large country albeit with a relatively small population. Its size gives rise to differences among the population that require representation. A bicameral system ensures that the needs of the more populated states do not dominate others. This requirement is not unique to Australia and it is not surprising that the vast majority of federal governments apply a bicameral system. B Simple versus

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