The Senate is the States House: I think these comments overlook the actual nature of parliamentary democracy. Of course the Senate is the States House. It is the States House because Tasmania and NSW both have 10 Senators. That means NSW and Tasmania are equal on the floor of the Senate.
The real action occurs in the Cabinet, Ministry and Caucus. Tasmania is well represented in all aspects of government because of the Senate. There is one Tasmanian Minister and one Tasmanian Parliamentary Secretary. The current President is also a Tasmanian. That is the real and profound impact of having 12 Tasmanian Senators.
Do not forget that Senator Humphries last week crossed the floor in protest of ACT legislation being struck down.
In constitutional terms, there is no difference between a minor and major party. The real question is whether the Senators are representative of the their electorate. Labor and Liberal dominate the Senate because the vast majority of people vote for Labor and Liberal. It is as simple as that.
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