Whether my Senate term is 6 years or 3 – my team and I will work as hard as we can to deliver a better deal and more to Tasmania, JLN Independent Senator for Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie has said after media posed questions about about the length of Senate terms.

“While much has been written about who receives a 6 or 3 year Senate term following a double disillusion election – when it all boils down – it’s a simple process. Tradition, precedent, conventions and section 13 of the Australian constitution lay out the rules and guidelines, which give clear direction to the Senate when it is time to make a decision on who is to serve a 6 or 3-year term.

Parliamentary Library research I commissioned reports: As Odger’s Senate Practice states:

On the seven occasions that it has been necessary to divide the Senate for the purposes of rotation, the practice has been to allocate senators according to the order of their election.

Following this DD election, the independent umpire or Australian Electoral Commission has just published their official Senate order of election for Tasmania. It shows that according to the AEC, I’m placed in position 4 out of 12 senators. This means the JLN has received the 4th highest Senate vote in Tasmania.

This fact is re-enforced by the AEC count below the line, which shows I received the 3rd highest personal vote of all senate candidates with 11,463 votes. My personal vote total is greater that any Greens senate candidate, all Labor Senate candidates – except Senator Singh and all Liberal Senate candidates except former Senator Colbeck.

So if the Senate follows tradition, precedent and section 13 of the Australia’s constitution – I will be allocated a 6-year term. ABC election expert, Anthony Green backs up my view. Mr Green recently wrote; The outcome of the order elected method is clear. It would grant six-year terms to 16 Coalition Senators, 13 Labor, three Greens, two Nick Xenophon Team members, plus Jacqui Lambie and Pauline Hanson.

However despite all the facts, laws, senate traditions, conventions and Australian constitution being in favour of a 6 year term – I still don’t underestimate the will or ability of the major political parties to gang up and manipulate the rules. I would not be surprised if the big political parties ignored 115 years of Australian Senate convention – in order to give themselves a political advantage. Should that occur, then it will be up to the people of Tasmania at the next election to decide if they are happy with that sort of behaviour or not.
Rob Messenger for Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie