swill to the rescue

PAWAN LUTHRA

ormer Prime Minister Paul Keating was well known for his sharp wit and his cutting Parliament. His famous attack on the Senate in 1989, referring to it as the “unrepresentative swill” echoes loud in the folklore of Australian politics. As opposed to the Lower House where there is some clarity on who you are voting for, it takes a mathematical genius and days of tallying up of the votes for the public to know who actually made it to the Senate. And then also, the final result throws up parties which come from a diverse range of standpoints.

The Senate is one of the two Houses of the Federal Parliament, consisting of 76 senators, twelve from each of the six states and two from each of the mainland territories. It shares the power to make laws with the other House of Parliament, the House of franking credit benefit removals for important - cast it wisely.