Mr Speaker I move that the amendments be agreed to.
Mr Speaker this is a great day for democracy. For too long, Mr Speaker, the Senate has been, the Senate Voting System has been disturbed by backroom deals, by preference whisperers, by the manipulation of micro parties such that we have seen the will of the people frustrated.
Mr Speaker there is nothing more important that the men and women that sit in this chamber and the Senate reflect as far as possible the wish of Australian people. And that has not been the case with the Senate and we have known this for many years.
For many years the practice of group voting tickets, of backroom deals, of elaborate creation of micro parties has resulted in people being elected to the Senate with a tiny fraction of primary votes. It has undermined the reputation; it has undermined the democratic reputation and credibility of the Senate which is half of this great Parliament, Mr Speaker.
The changes that are contained in this Bill and reflected in these amendments represent what was not so long ago the bipartisan position, the position of every party in this Parliament. Mr Speaker, it was the unanimous recommendation of Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. Labor, Liberal, The Greens, all agreed that it should be Australian voters who decide where their preferences go. It should be Australians who choose who should be elected to the Senate, not backroom deals. And there was no stronger advocate for this than the Member for Brand, Gary Gray. And then, Mr Speaker only weeks ago for base political reasons the Labor Party did a complete backflip.
They abandoned their position. They left the member for Brand, Gary Gray, a solitary beacon of integrity in a sea of Labor opportunism. Mr Speaker, these amendments are for democracy. I want to thank the Senators who supported them. I want to thank the Senators who stuck to their principles. I want to thank those Senators in the Green Party and the Independent Senator Xenophon and all of my colleagues in the Coalition who stayed up for hours and hours ensuring that this was going to be carried.
Led, Mr Speaker by the Special Minister of State Senator Mathias Cormann whose leadership on this issue showed as usual his uncanny combination of intellect, determination and energy. Senator Cormann, Mr Speaker has served the nation and his state well because Mr Speaker we should never forget, Section 7 of the Constitution says that Senators will be elected, directly elected by the people of each state. This ensures that they will indeed be directly elected by the people of each state because the people voting will determine precisely where their preferences go.
This is a great day for democracy, Mr Speaker, I thank the Senators for their perseverance in supporting these changes and I thank my colleagues in the House of Representatives here who stayed back and stayed up late so that we can deal with these amendments as they’re returned to the House. I commend the amendments to the House.
ENDS