Can a government team of at least 13 sufficiently run a Cabinet, Parliament and dedicate time to committee and constituent work? Can an opposition sufficiently hold the government of the day to account?

This is not a new question. In 1984 the then-premier Robin Gray commissioned a report that found it would be against the public interest to have a 25-seat Parliament. In 2010 the leaders of the three main parties agreed to increase the size of the Parliament to 35. Unfortunately the Liberal Party withdrew its agreement for this change, citing budget pressures.

A second issue facing the Tasmanian people is the role of the Legislative Council. Having been the member for Western Tiers since 2001, I’ve had a front row seat to the operations of this house and how it represents the Tasmanian people. It is designed as a house of review, a check and balance on the legislative role of the House of Assembly. Incidentally, it is also the only state upper house that has staggered elections, with MLCs serving six years and only a few at a time going to election in any year.  

The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the only such body across Australia with the power to absolutely reject budget bills, and, therefore, potentially send the lower house to an election. In my view this is not the way the Legislative Council is designed to operate nor does it result in practical outcomes. A suspensory veto would enable the Legislative Council to achieve changes to the budget and fulfil its role as a check on the Government, without leading the Tasmanian people to an election. It would ensure the House of Assembly thoroughly reconsider the bill rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

We need competent, dedicated and passionate people running our State with real world experience. We need them to be fairly elected and have the support systems, resources and time to make informed decisions that are in the best interests of this State and its people. I’ve seen over the past 17 years how hard a group of 40 elected people work to represent the interests of 520,000 and keep Tasmania a thriving place to live, work and invest.

I welcome the comments made by Peter Chapman of the Tasmanian Constitutional Society in support of the reform of the Legislative Council and intend to continue my push for the following changes to be made, in order to ensure Tasmanians can continue to have confidence in their Parliament, elected representatives and public sector.

I moved two motions in the Legislative Council late last year to get the ball rolling on these vital changes, which were supported and passed. This goes directly to the integrity and credibility of the Parliament. Tasmania’s Parliament is not working as well as it should and this must change. Politicians of all stripes must stand up and be counted on this.

These changes are not the result of gratuitous navel-gazing but the result of 17 years of experience working in the Legislative Council. If my fellow Parliamentarians are serious about the high positions they hold in representing Tasmanians, they will consider and support these changes.