Senate Reform and the Future of Crossbenchers
Senate electoral reform remains a source of contention in the run-up to the next federal election, with the Government’s proposals receiving early support from the Greens but being met with criticism from the Opposition and many crossbenchers. The move has been spurred by the outcome of the previous federal election in 2013, which saw senators elected with record-low segments of the primary vote due to preference swapping arrangements. However, Labor is concerned that the reforms are being rushed to service Coalition interests in a potential double dissolution election. To discuss the proposed reforms and what they will mean for Australian democracy, Sean Britten was joined on the line by Nick Economou, a senior lecturer in the School of Political and Social Enquiry at Monash University.
Produced by Darius Sawyer
