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Four year terms deserve support

 

The proposal that federal parliaments should be of four year's duration deserves strong support.

Why not put it to a referendum soon?

But there is much more to be done.

Why should Senators be elected for eight-year terms?

The Senate does a marvellous job, as the only redeeming feature of an otherwise ramshackle political system, but it can do that in four-year sessions just as well, even better.

Better because the charge that half the Senate operates on an old mandate would no longer be valid.

That most representative "swill" of the legislature would have even more clout to debate, amend and refuse legislation passed by the two-party tyranny in the unrepresentative House of Representatives.

For example, the blocking of Supply, if it needs to be done, would be a still more legitimate action than it already is.

We should remember that the Senate is elected on the basis of Proportional Representation, a much more democratic electoral system than the single-district system now used for the lower house.

So, why not add a third question to a multiple referendum: Do you approve of the introduction of Proportional Representation for lower house elections?

Three steps in one go towards restoring parliamentary credibility - at low cost.

Klaas Woldring, Pearl Beach