There are 12 from each State, 2 from each Territory.
The amount of votes needed to win a seat in Tasmania is much less than that required to win a seat in NSW for example.
But the Senate was never designed to be a population based House, it was a house for the States, thus equal numbers.
She is free to vote in whatever way she so chooses, people shouldn't get all worked up into a lather, she can vote yes or no to any legislation that comes to the Senate, just like every other senator.
I would rather have someone like her voting with her conscience, even if I don't agree with her, than the current alternative where the senators just vote along party lines, not in accordance to the best interests of their state, which is what they are supposed to represent.
Please remember the government is formed in the lower house, the Senate is not the government. It is the second part of the Parliament. There is a difference.
