The federal minister in charge of electoral reform says he doesn't support the idea of four-year terms.
Liberal backbencher David Coleman has flagged a private member's bill to bring in fixed four-year terms of government at a federal level, mirroring the system in most of the states.
He says it will deliver greater certainty for business investors and allow better long-term planning by government.
Special Minister of State Scott Ryan said while he encouraged MPs to discuss such ideas, he did not support four-year terms because they led to "lazy" governments.
"I'm not a fan of four-year terms. I have seen lots of good governments that have instituted very strong reforms work under a three-year term system, but four-year terms at the state level have led to government that occasionally gets a bit lazy," Senator Ryan told Sky News on Wednesday.
"Three-year terms keep the pressure on politicians to explain the argument for the policies we are implementing and we have got to do that every day."
Senator Ryan said the Hawke-Keating and Howard governments showed what could be achieved in three-year terms.
He also opposed the idea of senators getting eight-year terms, despite being a senator himself.
Only a third of Australian voters supported the 1988 referendum to put in place four-year terms for the Senate and House of Representatives.
Labor still support the idea.
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