The Senate is an anachronism where 500k people in Tasmania have the same say as 8m people in NSW. The best compromise I can offer is to follow the model that the house of lords uses in the UK where the Senate can veto a bill twice, but the third time it passes.

Dear Belly,

We need to have a debate on a second chamber that
better meets the wishes of the voters. Therefore
we need not to get rid of the Senate but reform it.

The Australian voters should get a Senate which is
not in the iron grip of party control and which
genuinely reviews legislation rather than either
simply rubber stamping it or rejecting it - based on
the political make up of the other house.

We need a Senate which attracts the best and the
brightest.

Yuytsu I am always going to find you requirements for government confronting,but in truth think we have more chance of a Dictatorship than what you want, do we need a referendum? did not have one with the last FAILED changes,the two party preferred ones have self interest in reform surely? how many got elected to that circus of a house then switched sides? is that fair to voters? do we want Greens or One Nation being able to stall any government my view remains Democracy is not served by our lost world senate

Toni,

"Both would require a referendum: good luck getting it passed. Referendums usually fail."

You should know by now that Referendums never fail

What about the shonks not entitled to be in parliament by dint of their dual citizenship, who have spent almost a million dollars of OURS ($962,155) from October last year to March this year, despite the fact that they had no right to be in parliament at the time. This is spending is on top of their over-generous salaries and perks. They are still at it, but figures from April and May are not yet available.

These people are all of the Left, unsurprisingly.

They intend to stand again at the expensive by-elections their dishonesty has caused. We haven't even been assured that their messy citizenship problems have been sorted out yet.

The senate will never be abolished, but these people could have their snouts permanently removed from the trough - and be made to repay every cent they have ripped off us - if only we had a Prime Minister and government with backbones. No other people not members of the political class would be allowed to get away with what these shonks have done, let alone get the opportunity to stay on the gravy train. And nobody else would be so brazen as to continue these sharp practices while they were still under a cloud.

Dear Belly,

I do not believe in either dictatorship or democracy, but if you want democracy, then Australia doesn't have it: how many people can really say that the politicians from either of the two major parties truly represent their views and aspirations?

Australia's electoral system preserves the rule of the two major parties, with little differences between them - Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The [expensive] game of being allowed to choose between the two may provide a degree of comfort for those who do not wish to look the grim reality in the face.

I support neither the Greens nor One Nation, but I feel good when any of them, or anyone else for that matter, manages to [temporarily] obstruct and give a blow to the government's ego and image.