This house is sometimes known as the State's House. When the idea of federation (the joining of the colonies together) was proposed, many of the smaller states were worried that their interests would be overlooked and their concerns not listened to. The Senate was established as a 'State's House' where each state would elect the same number of senators regardless of the size of their population. As political parties have grown over the years, the role of the Senate as a State's House has changed, with senators often voting according to the views of their political party rather than their state.