<![CDATA[This research examines the strengthening of the legislative function of the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI) within a bicameral system through a comparative study with the Australian Senate. The establishment of the DPD RI post-amendment of the 1945 Constitution was intended to bolster regional representation and establish a checks-and-balances mechanism in national legislative processes. However, in practice, the legislative authority of the DPD RI remains profoundly limited compared to the People's Representative Council (DPR RI), categorizing Indonesia's structure as soft bicameralism. This condition starkly contrasts with the Australian Senate, which exercises strong bicameralism with legislative powers nearly equivalent to the House of Representatives. Utilizing a normative legal research method with a comparative approach, this study analyzes primary and secondary legal materials to identify systemic disparities. The findings reveal that the DPD RI suffers from structural limitations rooted in the constitutional design of Article 22D of the 1945 Constitution, whereas the Australian Senate derives robust, equal power from Article 53 of its Constitution. The study concludes that the ideal bicameral system for Indonesia is a moderate-strong bicameralism model—symmetrical in territorial affairs but asymmetrical in non-territorial matters. Achieving this necessitates a fifth amendment to the 1945 Constitution, revision of the MD3 Law, the introduction of a Joint Committee for deadlock resolution, and internal capacity building within the DPD RI]]>
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