David Pocock prioritises territory rights after calls for more ACT senators

Chief Minister Andrew Barr reportedly said it was appropriate to double the number of ACT senators after recent census data revealed a 20,000 person undercount for the territory.

The ACT's population has surged to almost 450,000 people, about 21,000 more than the Australian Bureau of Statistics' estimate.

While Senator Pocock welcomed discussion of the issue, he will focus on repealing a ban on the territory's parliament passing Voluntary Assisted Dying laws.

"The census data provides a solid evidence base for increasing the ACT's federal representation in the Senate. This is something we should have a conversation about to ensure the ACT is adequately represented as a territory," Mr Pocock said.

"While that's an important discussion, my priority remains restoring territory rights.

"Enabling the ACT government to have a mature debate on important issues like Voluntary Assisted Dying is what the community wants to see urgently delivered given the Canberrans facing these difficult decisions."

Mr Barr said that a "modest increase" from two to four ACT senators "may be appropriate" given the rise in population.

"After nearly 50 years of territory Senate representation, the number of territory senators should be reviewed," he told Guardian Australia on Wednesday.

Along with the Northern Territory, the ACT currently has two senators, compared to 12 for each state. Under current law, the number of senators cannot be increased until the ACT population hits a level allowing six lower house MPs.

Comparatively Tasmania has a population of around 550,000 and a dozen senators.

Constitutional expert and former ACT Senate aspirant Kim Rubenstein drafted legislation to increase representation during her recent election campaign.

"We need to be better represented and having four senators would be a reasonable step forward in relation to population," she told The Canberra Times.

Professor Rubenstein said that, under Section 122 of the Australian Constitution, the federal government could increase the number of representatives for the territory via an amendment to the Commonwealth Electoral Act.

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"David Pocock is holding one of the votes that Labor needs to pass legislation. This could be an amendment that he could really push for," she said.

"All he needs to do is convince the government of the day that this is a healthy step forward for our nation."

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