Reform or die

Tasmania’s Legislative Council must reform or die!

Its power to reject budgets and revenue bills is an anachronistic hangover from the 19th century and, without double dissolution provisions, is not accountable for its power to obstruct a government formed in the ‘people’s house’.

As an elected House of Parliament the LegCo adds considerable value to our democracy but to stave off the ever-increasing calls for its abolition, it must divest itself of the power to block budgets, refuse revenue or obstruct a government’s election promises.

In 1911 under threats by King George V to appoint commoners to their hereditary chamber, the House of Lords and Barons divested itself of the power to deny government revenue and now has only the right to delay, but not defeat, public bills.

Because UK reforms occurred after 1901, the Australian Senate was able to produce the Constitutional crisis of 1975 and regularly obstructs the government’s mandate leading former Prime Minister Keating to describe Senators as “unrepresentative swill”.

In 1926, following the UK convention, Tasmanian Premier Joe Lyons had the governor sign the budget into law, despite it having been rejected by the Legislative Council. After three years of constitutional crises the Upper House, aided and abetted by a conservative press, reasserted its 19th century powers and today remains the Constitutional equal of the people’s House of Assembly.

90 years on its time to return to the democratically correct position of 1926.

A plebiscite on abolishing the Legislative Council would likely result in an overwhelming ‘YES’ after which any Legislative Councillor who refused to vote themself out of office could hardly be called’ Honourable’.

REFORM or DIE!

• Life teaches us to play by the rules and to respect the umpire’s decision.

That is why it is so hypocritical for Labor, the so-called party of the workers, to reject the Industrial Commission’s determination of MP salaries.

Their blatant populist politics lacks integrity and is at odds with a union movement that is gobsmacked as they watch their party join the conservative conga line dancing seeking to dance on the grave of the industrial relations system that has served this country so well.

Our interstate colleagues are stunned that Tasmania puts itself through this farce time and time again when everywhere else the umpire’s decision is accepted and life goes on.

One wonders if they would dance so hard if the Legislative Council wasn’t there to rescue them from their own folly.