Are we forever linked to the Westminster system?
Surely the house of Lords that place for useless old folk to forget it is no longer the 1800,s is proof we need not.
QLD thanks to a past ALP government has only one house, a seemingly dangerous[T I C] side effect is, the elected government is able to govern!
NSW after a landslide victory over the rotting mess my ALP was that day can not!
We ALP whimper about big Barry, but ignore it was us who installed him.
And too if it was us would be just as upset that we could not rule.
NSW has two shooters party members, gaining shooting rights in national parks and wanting much more, from what voting base?
Radical Christians owners of few votes, can and do control government here too.
WHY.
Now the Greens, from a peak of 12% of the vote they over rule every one, as Labor and Liberal do too, why.
Do we want an elected government to be held to ransom by any other party.
Surely without even considering the American or British system we can drop upper houses?

The non-democratic nature of upper houses pales in comparison to the non-democratic nature of lower houses.

The regional-voting system, non-proportional "First Past the Post", that we have for the lower houses make us helpless hostages of the two big parties, who like Tweedledum and Tweedledee are nearly identical and collude to kick us forever like a ball between them.

The upper houses have the potential of making it just a fraction more difficult for Tweedledum and Tweedledee to serve further oppressing decrees against us, ordinary people, and for that I support them.

Yuyutsu,

I think that's very well put.

Well done!

I'm with you Belly. As for some sort of proportional voting, that would give us, in the lower house, the same sort of garbage that currently inhabits the national upper house.

God forbid. Hell we could get to be almost as bad as that bunch of twits over the Tasman, or the idiots across Bass Straight.

The horror of the thought makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end.

Dear Hasbeen,

<<that would give us, in the lower house, the same sort of garbage that currently inhabits the national upper house>>

Thanks for letting us know that you consider real people (as opposed to politicians), their real concerns and their real pains as "garbage" and that "God-forbid" if they ever be represented and have a real say over the decrees that limit their lives.

yuytsu you are quite wrong.
We do not have a first past the post system.
We have preferential voting.
You under mine your view and Poirot by false statements.
In the lower house many sit who ran third Wilkie and the single green for a start.
You divert the thread with a wrong statement , but it is my view first past the post , one vote one value is the best.
In time it would end silly party's.
upper houses too stop majority's being heard.
NSW sees a huge victory but inability to pass legislation.
Two shooters party bargained to allow government to sell power by getting their way.
Shooting in national parks.
Both agony for most voters and undemocratic.
We will be bombarded with the view we should dump party's and have only independents, hung Parliaments forever.
And warned about fairness and equity from minor party supporters who will refuse to see their representation from such a base stands firmly in from of the views of four times their combined numbers.
Preferential voting and upper houses are supported by the interests of party's most of us do not want.
We do not majority's to be ruled by minority's to prove we are fair, in fact fairness is the reverse.