Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the end of the day, what is it that we want to achieve in the Senate? I believe a more diverse and more open Senate with a range of different views is a better outcome. I believe that these proposals that have been put forward are going to result in a narrowing of the divergent views. The government wants this because it wants a more compliant Senate. That is what this is about achieving. It is not about transparency. If there were a more compliant Senate then what worries me is what would happen with a situation like the 2014 budget. A more compliant Senate would not be prepared to stand up to the government. A more compliant Senate would have fewer and fewer different voices. We as an institution are better and stronger because of the different views held here.

This proposal will result in a giant exhaustion of up to one-quarter of the vote. Let us talk about what this proposal would actually do. This is the introduction of optional preferential voting.

Senator Rhiannon interjecting—

No, this is the introduction—