2) Exactly What Role Was Originally Intended For The Senate When The Commonwealth Constitution Was Being Drafted? Does The Senate Serve Its Purpose? How Well Were Sections 53 And 57 Drafted?
While the Commonwealth Constitution was being drafted in the 1890's, the role which was primarily intended for the Senate was that it would "protect the interests of the less populous states in the Federal Parliament by giving equal representation to all states." (1)
Today, the Senate has taken on more than that. It has allowed parliamentary representation for individuals, groups and parties who have the support of voters, it has maintained the responsibility of governments to parliament, it has executed its role as a check on government and so forth. The powers given to the Senate are virtually equal to that of the House of Representatives, however it does not have the power to propose or amend bills relating to money and taxation. The two questions we are now faced with are, Does the Senate serve its purpose of origin from when the constitution was drawn up?' and How well were sections 53 and 57 drafted?'. These will be answered as definitively as possible in the following, looking closely at how the Senate has provided much more than its original intent, what effect it has had on Australia and the powers exercised by them.
In Australia, bicameralism is one of the major features of parliament, where legislature is divided into two chambers, the Senate which is also known as the upper house and the House of Representatives, also known as the lower house. This bicameral system of government dates back to 1901, when the six colonies of Australia came together to form a federation. As I have mentioned already, the original purpose of the Senate was to protect the interests of the individual states. However, many people believed that the introduction of the Senate was to act as a further scrutiny of propositions made by the government in the House of Representatives. The primary role of the upper house nonetheless became obscure after federation because senators started to vote as members of political parties rather than as representatives...
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