In August 2005, the Coalition took control of the Senate, giving one party a majority in both houses of Parliament for the first time since 1981.
At the time, John Howard promised to use his Senate majority 'wisely, soberly, and sensibly'. But in the last two years, the Senate has become nothing but a rubber stamp for the Government --
over the past two years, our Senate has passed 100% of Government-sponsored amendments, while rejecting over 98% of amendments proposed by other parties.**
After this election, things could get even worse. If the Liberals win Government in the lower house and retain their Senate majority, they may see that as a mandate from the Australian people to use their dual majorities with even less restraint. On the other hand, if Labor wins Government in the lower house but the Coalition retains its Senate majority, it will have absolute veto power over any and all legislation the Labor Government wants to pass or amend - from IR to climate change to indigenous health.
GetUp's roots are closely intertwined with the Coalition's majority takeover of the Senate. We were founded and launched that same month - in August 2005 - by a small group of Australians concerned about holding the Government accountable for how they used their otherwise unbridled control of the Senate. GetUp's
first campaign ever was an ad telling the Government that, even though other parties could no longer hold them accountable in the Senate, we would be watching.
Over the past two years, GetUp members have fought together for the Senate to fulfill its rightful role as watchdog over the Government on issues such as
refugees' rights,
industrial relations, and, most recently,
the Northern Territory legislation that was just rammed through.
For the past two years, we’ve tried appealing to reason, we’ve tried pleading restraint. But the truth is that this Senate is not working. We need a new Senate, one that can put the brakes on bad laws -- and we need your help.
Luckily, in an election year, we have one additional tool in our toolbox to combat abuse of power:
democracy. There are 40 Senators up for re-election this year -- 6 in every state and 2 in each territory. The Coalition currently holds 20 of these seats. All it will take for them to lose majority control of the Senate is for progressives to gain back one of those 20 seats.
That's could mean as little as 11,000 voters changing their mind in the ACT, or a swing of just 3% in Victoria or 5% in South Australia, for the Government to lose their absolute power.
So please - help us with our non-partisan campaign for a balanced, independent Senate. We need your help to...
1. Put our unprecedented multi-party ad calling for a balanced Senate on the air in the states where the balance of power in the Senate will be decided. Can you donate $100, $50, or even just $25? What's an independent Senate worth to you?
2. Run our intensive grassroots campaign to make sure every voter knows about the Coalition's track record. We are letterboxing, holding market stalls, adopting booths for election day, and more! If you live in one of the marginal Senate states below, click below to learn more about how you can help with your local GetUp Senate campaign:
- ACT
- South Australia
Or, if you live elsewhere, send an email to national@getup.org.au asking for more information about the Senate campaign and including your name, state, and telephone number.
And remember, all it will take to change the country is one Senate seat.
*Sourced from
http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/senate_watch/
October 27th, 2007
This campaign is truly essential doing. Only GetUp could get this going. I cant abide this brutalised senate. Anyone remember the amendments to the NT Land Rights Act - what a joke. Passed in a day, consequences for 99 years. It must come to an end.