ts and prerogatives would remain paramount. However the result today is quite different from the Founding Fathers intent.The most often stated function of an Australian upper house is to act as a house of review. That the Legislative Councils and the Senate perform the vital role of double checking legislation from the lower houses is a central tenant of bicameralism as an ideal. Unfortunately in many ways this function has been severely undermined by the ubiquitousness of party politics and discipline. For an upper house to be an effective house of review it must be, by definition, an independent body. Party politics precluded this for many years as the state and federal upper houses were dominated by the conservative parties. When a conservative government held power these upper houses acted as little more than very expensive rubber stamps for cabinet drafted legislation. And with the accession of Labor governments they became obstacles to mandated legislation. It was only with the introduction of proportional representation at the federal level that the Senate, at least, became something other than a boys club. The advent of minor parties changed the nature of the Senate review function. Due to the fact that minor parties such as the Australian Democrats tend to hold the balance of power, it might now be said that genuine review does take place, albeit of a fairly limited and opportunistic nature. The Democrats seek to modify and, they would say, ameliorate items of legislation delivered to the Senate from the lower house and to some extent, imprint their values on each bill that requires Democrat votes.The idea that members of the Legislative Councils and the Senate act as representatives of their respective regions is also oft touted. Whether, it is a state or a region of a state, this function is largely negated by the party system. Having to vote along party lines, as most parliamentarians do, makes it very difficult for a region...
