No one's rushing to help Pocock get more senators for the ACT

ACT independent senator David Pocock isn’t finding much love for his bill to increase the number of territory senators.

On the eve of introducing his bill seeking to increase the number of senators from two to six for both the ACT and the Northern Territory, Senator Pockock expressed frustration at the limited support he has received.

He said he had asked every ACT and NT senator and House of Representatives MP to co-sponsor his bill but was snubbed.

Speaking to ABC radio, Senator Pocock said it was “extraordinary” that no ACT federal politician would join him.

Special Minister of State Don Farrell has flagged an inquiry into the ACT’s senate representation, but Senator Pocock says there’s no time to waste.

“We’ve seen repeatedly our territory rights infringed upon and the thing I see in the Senate is the need for more Senators standing up for the ACT and the Northern Territory,” he said.

Last year, a federal parliamentary committee recommended doubling the number of Senate seats for the ACT and the Northern Territory, from two to four each.

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters made the recommendation as part of its inquiry into the 2022 federal election. It said there was a need to factor in population changes and the need for representation of the territories.

It would not require a constitutional change because, unlike for the states where their numbers are guaranteed in the Constitution, territory representation is determined by the Federal Parliament.

A bill has to pass both houses of parliament, and that’s where Senator Pocock is finding a roadblock.

As it stands, there are 76 senators, 12 from each state and two each from the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Senators from the states serve six-year terms, whereas territory senators return to the polls with every three-year House of Representatives election.

Senator Pocock’s bill also proposes longer terms for the territory senators, similar to those enjoyed by senators from the states.

Following his own election in 2022, Senator Pocock raised the issue of greater representation for the territories, saying that the granting of two senators to the ACT and Northern Territory in 1975 was a political decision “not based on any real notion of democratic representation” and something he wanted to change.

“It did ensure that the two territories were represented in each party room, but not in anywhere near the levels of other small jurisdictions,” he said when first launching his intention to push for change.

“The debate did not seek to answer the question: what is a baseline level of democracy that is appropriate for small (non-original state) jurisdictions? What is the balance between federalism and representative democracy?”

The ACT’s population has doubled since 1975 and the number of state senators has increased from 10 to 12.

Senator Pocock compares what he describes as the ACT’s under-representation in the Senate compared to the two smallest states of Tasmania and South Australia.

“The whole basis for determining the number of senators to represent the ACT and the NT should be reconsidered,” he said.

He proposes that the number of territory senators be maintained at a level that is more than one-third but less than two-thirds of the number of state senators.

“This maintains a level of flexibility between state and territory numbers while ensuring a base level of representation for the territories,” he said when launching his bid.

However, it appears that it is not in the interests of the major parties to increase territory representation – a point being made clear to Senator Pocock at every step of his campaign to boost the number of senators for the ACT and the Northern Territory.