Voting System
The voting system for the Senate has changed twice since it was created. The original arrangement involved a first past the post block voting or "winner takes all" system, on a state-by-state basis. This was replaced in 1919 by preferential block voting. Block voting tended to grant landslide majorities and even "wipe-outs" very easily. For instance, from 1919 to 1922 the Nationalist Party of Australia had 35 of the 36 Senate seats, and from 1946 to 1949, the Australian Labor Party had 33 out of the 36 Senate seats.
In 1948, proportional representation on a state-by-state basis became the method for electing the Senate.
Read more about this topic: Senate (Australia), The Membership of The Senate
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