Is Federal Parliament in decline?

Democratic parliaments are expected to be the central institution that converts political inputs into outputs and to be the means by which the ‘will of the people’ is expressed. Chapter one of the Constitution defines the Australian Federal Parliament as the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Federal Parliament was established to sit alongside the existing six state parliaments; its authority limited to national matters set out in the Constitution as exclusive powers or concurrent powers, shared with the States. The bicameral structure was intended to allow for popular government but also sought to protect the States interests, and the two chambers were given distinct identities but similar powers. The roles of parliament include the Legislative Function, the Representative Function, the Responsibility Function, and be a Forum for Debate. Federal Parliament has long been the subject of strong criticism; commentators’ arguing that there has been a ‘declin...