Feel free to cull state MPs but add an Upper House THE link between the salaries of state and federal MPs is set to give Queensland's 89 state MPs a pay rise of $50,000. As outrageous as it seems, this nexus keeps state MPs at a pay rate $500 less each year than federal MPs. Yet state MPs represent one-third of the number of people in a federal electorate. Remuneration should not be the only nexus. The number of MPs in the Queensland Parliament could also be subject to a direct numerical relationship with the Federal Parliament. If such a formula existed, there could be fewer members in the current Legislative Assembly. We could even restore an Upper House and still have fewer MPs. Queensland has 30 federal MPs and a nexus of two state members for every federal member would reduce the State Parliament to 60 MPs (MLAs). The number of federal MPs in each state is determined by its percentage of the total Australian population. In NSW, with 48 federal MPs, there are 93 state Legislative Assembly MPs - a two-to-one proportion. In recent times, Queensland, with a growing population, has gained more federal MPs. The process is above political interference. In the past in Queensland, political interference by the parliamentary executive - the premier and Cabinet - has seen the Upper House abolished (in the 1920s by Labor), an expansion of the Legislative Assembly from 82 to 89 (by the Nationals in 1985) and a politically devious redistribution in the shadow of post-Fitzgerald reform (1991). By comparison, based on the population nexus, the federal redistribution process, independent of direct political control, created 10 new federal seats in Queensland. Frankly, given the political control of the Queensland electoral process from both sides in the past, things have to change. While many believe Queensland needs an Upper House of review, we don't need more state MPs. An Upper House, or state Senate, would frustrate the domination of the executive (premier and Cabinet) and prevent laws being pushed through Parliament without debate. It would give Campbell Newman a political legacy that would be admired for generations - to cut back the cost of government while also giving Queenslanders better parliamentary governance and a broader range of elected voices. The state Senate could be based on the same premise of two state senators for every federal senator. We have 12 federal senators, so 24 state senators could be elected. Another model could be to restrict the state Senate to no more than one-third of the numbers in the state Legislative Assembly. This would create just 20 senators. State senators could be elected on a quota less than 5 per cent for a 20-person chamber. Under this reform, state MPs would have to work harder for their money. We can correct a great wrong - almost a century after it was abolished by the state Cabinet of the day, Queensland would again have an Upper House. For less money we'd have a two-chamber Parliament and fewer pollies. Queensland's future parliaments would no longer be the plaything of the cabinet of the day. Gary Hardgrave was federal MP for Moreton from 1996-2007 and a federal minister from 2001-07. He is now a presenter with radio station 4BC Brisbane.