December 8, 2023
Senator Sue Boyce has delivered her valedictory speech to the Senate, bringing to an end her 7-year parliamentary career.
Boyce, a Liberal from Queensland, was first appointed to the Senate in 2007 to replace Santo Santoro, who had resigned over undeclared shareholdings. She was elected to a full term at the 2007 election.
Twelve senators are about to leave the Federal Parliament as the July 1 changeover approaches.
The departing senators will give valedictory speeches in the Senate over the next two weeks. The first will be given tomorrow by the Nationals Senator Ron Boswell, who has been in the Senate since 1983.
The Senate has 76 members. Each of the six states has 12 senators, whilst the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have 2 senators each. Senators serve fixed 6-year terms which commence on July 1. Except in the case of a double dissolution, Senate elections are staggered, with half the state-based senators facing the electorate at each House of Representatives election. Territory senators serve terms that are concurrent with the House.
On July 1, the State senators elected on September 7, 2013 will take their places. These 36 senators will serve terms that end on June 30, 2020.
Twenty-four senators were re-elected last year. Of the 12 who were replaced, 7 were defeated (6 ALP and 1 Liberal) and 5 retired (2 ALP, 2 Liberal and 1 Nationals).
The ALP lost one member in each state and will have only 25 senators from July 1. The party lost 3 members to the Palmer United Party (PUP), and one each to the Liberal Democrats (LDP), the Greens and Family First (FF).
With Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership of the Liberal Party facing a crucial partyroom vote tomorrow, a Liberal senator, Sue Boyce, has indicated that she will cross the floor to support the Rudd government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
Boyce spoke in support of the Emissions Trading Scheme proposed by the government.
She supported remarks by fellow Liberal Senator Judith Troeth who called for nuclear power to be considered as part of the solution to lowering carbon emissions.