Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown's crucial change of heart in the Senate, to back the Government's bill enabling the constitutional convention on the republic to go ahead, has been vindicated, he said in Canberra today.

"I changed votes because I believed progress to a republic should come before fears about the postal vote."

"The Opposition and the Democrats' Cheryl Kernot held out against the bill because they saw the voluntary postal vote for convention delegates as a Trojan horse being used by the Government against compulsory voting in federal elections."

"But if that was the Government's plan, it has backfired. The voluntary postal vote is a shambles. Australia's compulsory vote at the ballot box is safer than ever", Senator Brown said.

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