Skip to content
Government ACT, Government Federal

Territories need four senators each: CFMEU

CFMEU < 1 mins read

The CFMEU has called for the Albanese government to boost the ACT and NT's Senate seats to four in line with a parliamentary committee's recommendation.

A Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters report, released on Monday, says the territories should each be represented by four senators, up from two.

CFMEU ACT and National Secretary Zach Smith and NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech successfully amended the ALP's platform at national conference in August, committing federal Labor to increasing the territories' Senate representation. 

"The ACT's population is fast approaching Tasmania which has six times the Senate representation," Mr Smith said.

"The federal government needs to fully implement these recommendations if it's serious about strengthening our democracy

"Anything less than four senators would be totally unfair for voters in the ACT who have been under-represented for too long.

"Australia hasn't changed its number of senators since 1983 when the population was 15 million. Given we're now a nation of more than 26 million people it's time we updated our parliament."

Mr Peach said the NT needed a bigger voice in federal parliament.

"Boosting Senate representations for Territorians is crucial for our remote and rural communities," Mr Peach said.

"Locking in four senators will be a major benefit for Indigenous communities and our pastoral sector."


Contact details:

Matt Coughlan 0400 561 480 / matt@hortonadvisory.com.au

More from this category

  • Environment, Government Federal
  • 20/12/2024
  • 11:18
Australian Conservation Foundation

Assess NT fracking under national environment law

Concerns raised by an independent expert scientific committee should prompt Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to use her expanded water trigger powers to assess Northern Territory gas fracking proposals, the Australian Conservation Foundation said. While the ‘plain English summary’ of the Expert Scientific Committee on Unconventional Gas says the potential impacts on the Beetaloo Basin’s water resources from exploration activities would be ‘minor’, that description is not used in the rest of the report. The panel states that exploration activities ‘will likely lead to further production, exploration and appraisal which will inevitably intensify impacts.’ “The whole purpose of initial gas fracking…

  • Government Federal, Transport Automotive
  • 20/12/2024
  • 10:20
The Climate Council

New year, new gear: New Vehicle Efficiency Standard revs off the starting line at the stroke of midnight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2024 New year, new gear: New Vehicle Efficiency Standard revs off the starting line at the stroke of midnight The Albanese Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) that will come into effect on January 1 will see cleaner and cheaper to run cars sold in Australia, cutting climate pollution produced by new cars by more than half. The policy is a huge win for our climate, our health and our hip-pockets, preventing 20 million tonnes of climate pollution by 2030. For more than two decades, uptake of low- and zero-emissions vehicles was held back…

  • Contains:
  • Environment, Government Federal
  • 19/12/2024
  • 17:25
Australian Conservation Foundation

Approving coal mines is the opposite of climate action

In response to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s approval of three coal mine extensions – Boggabri, Caval Ridge and Lake Vermont Meadowbrook – the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate program manager Gavan McFadzean said: “Approving coal projects is the opposite of climate action. “Together, these three coal mine extensions will generate more than 850 million tonnes of lifetime emissions, undermining Australia’s emissions targets and our claims to be a good global citizen and a good neighbour to Pacific nations. “Climate scientists and the International Energy Agency say the world cannot approve new coal and gas projects. “The Albanese government keeps trying to…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.