'Legislate the ratio': David Pocock welcomes Labor push to boost territory senators to six

Canberra-based CFMEU national secretary, Zach Smith, is due to put a motion to Labor's national conference in Brisbane next week to get the ALP, perhaps before the next election, to increase the ACT and Northern Territory Senate seats from two to six.

The motion, expected to be seconded by the NT Attorney-General Chansey Paech, would also ask Labor to "protect the autonomy and self-governance" of the territories, and to "protect them against federal interference both legislatively and through constitutional amendment." It would also allow, in what would require constitutional reform, for the territories to be counted with states for the double majority in a referendum.

"Canberrans deserve democratic equality. It's patently unfair that your referendum vote is worth less just because you live in the ACT," Mr Smith has told The Canberra Times.

"With the nation on the verge of one of the most significant referendum votes in our history, this is the ideal time to discuss the issue."

Mr Smith said addressing territory representation is overdue, especially as Canberra's population is rapidly gaining ground on Tasmania.

Senator Pocock has also been pushing for greater territory representation and has made submissions as part of an official parliamentary review of the 2022 federal election.

"The territories having two senators on three-year rotations, compared to 12 from the states, doesn't make sense anymore," he told reporters in Canberra.

"We've seen a lot happen since the territories were given two senators in that time. The states had an additional two senators and Senate being the place where states are meant to be more equal, I believe there's a really strong argument that the territory should be part of that."

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The interim report from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters was tabled in June, but it has not yet considered the issue of territory representation.

It recommended wide-ranging political reforms, including the introduction of donation and spending caps for elections, lowering the donation disclosure threshold to $1000, and introducing legislation for truth in political advertising.

The committee is expected to hand down its final report later this year before the government launches into any changes. Increasing territory representation requires legislative reform.

"We should not be just adding a couple of numbers but legislating the ratio," Senator Pocock said.

"In my additional comments, I said between a third and a half of representation in the Senate for the territories. I think that makes sense. Look at how the ACT has grown."

If Mr Smith's motion is passed at the Labor conference, it would be binding on the ruling party to move on it, perhaps before the next election.

The CFMEU boss said it is "absolutely critical" that territories are protected from federal interference.

"Only recently we saw an absurd situation, with irrelevant Queensland LNP senator Matt Canavan sticking his nose into ACT government policy with a ham-fisted private senators' bill," he said.

"Canavan wouldn't have a hope in hell of electoral success in Canberra but he's allowed to undermine self-government? Give me a break."