Alternatively Lyn, perhaps Australia is fed up with minority views (less than 5%) of the population restricting what an elected government can do because that minority holds a fragile balance-of-power in the Senate which can only be attributed to the quota system by which Senators are elected.

Lynn, when your lot changed from “keep the bastards honest”, to, keep the bastards dishonest. You lost your chance and any veracity you had with the people disappeared along with you credibility.

Now the people have no choice, all parties are the same, enslaved to elite vested interests. Is it any wonder the democrats are in their death throes, considering how you continue to sell out your supporters, for egotistical self gain.

As an ex member of the democrats, along with the majority of supporters, I stopped voting for you when you sold your souls to the lib/lab coalitionsd vested interests, big business. Since then you've sold out on everything that matters to the people.

Your policies are no different to the lib/lab coalition, in fact it appears you are now members of their elite group, called useless fools. You continue to go against the wishes of the people and so have removed our choice and a chance for change.

The government may have used its vote to undermine the parliamentary process, but the democrats have used their vote to undermine the people, one and the same. There's no difference between lib/lab/democrat factions, all transparently obnoxious

The democrats can't be trusted, so now its irrelevant until the next election and nothing can change. Sadly like most fools the democrats have their heads in the trough with eyes fully blinkered, but you'll get a good pension and payout, for your treachery.

This woman simply doesn't get it! She is best ignored.

"ban voluntary student unions"... I thought they banned COMPULSARY student unions.

The Dems have really kancked it.

I agree with this article on the whole, but I want offer my support to the Senator for standing by her colleague in SA who is copping a hounding by Murdochs filthy hogs for simply stating the facts. Senator the Dems should leave our political landscape kicking and screaming, don't even think about apologising for your colleague, she knows what shes talking about and its about time this country had a mature debate about drugs that dosn't involve the Limited News Pigs blurring the debate with name calling while they get sloshed on their boutique beers every day.

Look, the Democrats may be sellout ratbags on the edge of extinction, but that doesn't stop the point of the article from being true or false independent of such things.

It's worth bearing in mind that at some point the ALP may/will have power again. They may even have control of both houses. Those celebrating the current Liberal stranglehold on power may live to regret the reversal of fortune along the lines of Bracks writ large.

To those who say they're sick of being held to ransom by the minority, why should the minority be walked over by the majority either? That's just two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner. Either way has problems, which is why if we're going to have government, the best thing is to limit the ability of any group to dictate to another. I strongly believe that a large part of why this country's (political) history has been so moderate compared to many other nations in the world is that we haven't had a strong concentration of power in anyone's hands, but that we've had checks and balances on it. It's worth looking at the bigger picture I think and putting partisanship aside.

As someone who would consider himself a classical liberal/libertarian, I find the Liberal Party disturbing. It's anything but liberal. Most disappointing is the way the small l liberals on the backbench cave in so easily to the conservative cabinet and pm. Why even bother raising a fuss if you're not going to back yourself?