Making the Senate work efficiently is an imperative for the 21st century

While responsible government equates to having and retaining the confidence of the House of Representatives, does this also extend to the Senate?

If the impact of proportional representation in 1948 was to be a landmark in our electoral history the increase in the number of Senators from 10 to 12 in 1983 and the resultant reduction in the quota from 16.66 to 14.28 per cent, has been described as a "watershed".

These two changes have ensured that neither of the major parties will have a working majority in the Senate for the foreseeable future.

What makes it difficult for government is when urgently needed reforms in the national interest are opposed outright.

Should you not think this matters, let me mention the nature, scope and policy rationale of just one of the deadlocked measures currently banked up in the Senate.

Currently, over half of Commonwealth government spending is directed to health and aged care. This means that the government has to make some long-term, structural policy choices now so that we can enjoy the same living standards in 2040.

The cost of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS is growing rapidly as medical science improves and we have a greater ability to treat more conditions. The government's reforms will ensure that the PBS is sustainable into the future and that new, highly effective but expensive medicines can continue to be listed under the scheme.

They are opposed by Labor and the minor parties in the Senate and the bill to effect the changes is a double-dissolution trigger in the current term of government.

In my view the inescapable conclusion is that the Senate routinely opposes the Howard government reform agenda. The nation needs these reforms to remain competitive and productive and to provide capacity to meet the needs of its greying population.

The two proposals that have gained recent currency recognise that there needs to be a more efficient and practical way to resolve deadlocks.

Australia is the only country in the world that has double-dissolution provisions to resolve legislative deadlocks.

Arguments about a mandate to govern do not produce an outcome. What is needed is a rethink about Senate powers - how to retain it as an important check on the government of the day without bringing the reform agenda to a standstill.