Original article by Joe Kelly, Angelica Snowden, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 15-Feb-23

Centre for Public Integrity chair Anthony Whealy says federal parliament should pursue reforms to address the issue of senators who quit their political party but remain in the upper house. He contends that when electors vote for a party’s candidate in the Senate they are registering a vote for that party, so the "will of the people should prevail". Former Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has joined a growing list of upper house members who have switched political allegiances in the last decade. Former attorney-­general George Brandis has described Thorpe’s decision to become an independent as a "cynical and egotistical act" and a "blatant insult" to people who had voted for the Greens rather than Thorpe.

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THE CENTRE FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS