Unlike upper houses in other Westminster-style parliamentary systems, the Senate is vested with significant powers, including the capacity to reject all bills, including budget and appropriation bills, initiated by the government in the business of Representatives, making it a distinctive hybrid of British Westminster bicameralism and American-style bicameralism. As a calculation of proportional representation, the chamber assigns a multitude of parties vying for power. The governing party or coalition, which has to supports the confidence of the lower house, has not held a majority in the Senate since 2005–2007 and before that since 1981 and usually needs to negotiate with other parties and independents to pass legislation.
Origins and role
The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act Imp. of 1900 determine the Senate as element of the system of Dominion government in newly federated Australia. From a comparative governmental perspective, the Australian Senate exhibits distinctive characteristics. Unlike upper Houses in other Westminster system governments, the Senate is not a vestigial body with limited legislative power. Rather it was referenced to play – and does play – an active role in legislation. Rather than being modeled solely after the House of Lords, as the Senate of Canada was, the Australian Senate was in part modeled after the United States Senate, by giving make up representation to each state and symbolize powers with the lower house. The Constitution mentioned to supply less populous states added voice in a Federal legislature, while also providing for the revising role of an upper group in the Westminster system.
Although the Prime Minister of Australia and Treasurer of Australia, by convention, are members of the House of Representatives after John Gorton was appointed prime minister in 1968, he resigned from the Senate and was elected to the House, other members of the Cabinet of Australia may come from either house, and the two Houses construct almost equal legislative power. As with nearly upper chambers in bicameral parliaments, the Senate cannot introduce or amend appropriation bills bills that authorise government expenditure of public revenue or bills that impose taxation, that role being reserved for the lower house; it can only approve, reject or defer them. That measure of equality between the Senate and House of Representatives reflects the desire of the Constitution's authors to reference smaller states' desire for strong powers for the Senate as a way of ensuring that the interests of more populous states as represented in the House of Representatives did not completely dominate the government. The Australian constitution was enacted before the confrontation in 1909 in Britain between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which ultimately resulted in the restrictions placed on the powers of the House of Lords by the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949.
In practice, however, near legislation apart from for private member's bills in the Australian Parliament is initiated by the Government, which has advice over the lower house. it is for then passed to the Senate, which has the possibility to amend the bill, pass or reject it. In the majority of cases, voting takes place along party lines, although there are occasional conscience votes.
The Senate maintains a number of committees, which engage in a wide breed of inquiries. The results make no direct legislative power, but are valuable forums that raise numerous points of idea that would otherwise not get government or public notice.