The federal government has not backed away from changing the Senate voting system, says cabinet minister George Brandis.
One of the roles of Senator Brandis - the new government leader in the Senate - is to keep independent and minor party senators on side to pass laws and motions.
However, there are concerns within the government that changing the way in which senators are elected could put crossbenchers offside.
In 2014, a bipartisan committee recommended voters be allowed to mark preferences above the line on Senate ballot papers or not to have to number all the boxes below the line.
This would reduce the chance of situations arising where senators can be elected with less than one per cent of the primary vote, through complex preference arrangements.
Asked on Sky News whether the voting system changes had been dumped, Senator Brandis said: "I don't think it has been backed away from."
"The Senate crossbenchers have their own views and they want to be constructive participants in this dialogue," he said.
He did not believe any senators wanted to "game the system".
"What they want is to have is a sensible Senate voting system that allows for the fact that the Senate will inevitably reflect a greater variety and diversity of views that the House of Representatives does because of the different voting method," Senator Brandis said.
"And I think that is a good thing."
Special Minister of State Mal Brough, who is in charge of electoral matters, is seeking advice on the changes to the system.
Meanwhile, Queensland Liberal MP Jane Prentice has been made chair of the parliament's electoral matters committee.
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