Meh, this is merely one of the ways senates can deal with legislation.  Anyone who has any education in political science would know that this function is absolutely critical to the functioning of this democracy.
Anyone would know that after a bill is passed in parliament, it goes to the senate, where it can in fact be killed, modified, stalled, morphed at the will of the senate, before it is passed back to parliament for 2nd reading.
This is more a reflection of a government that has been in a minority for a long time.  More common in our histories have been majorities, who in some cases has to wait more than a decade or two to see the senate turn over so the government has control of parliament and the senate.  However, what is interesting is that a government is a government and therefore may choose senators who are friendly to the government--minority or not.

If the Government had been in majority, what would the chances this bill would have made it past 1ST READING?  None at all.  Considering the games that have been played the past few years on the floor of the senate, this just reminds me of the saying: "What goes around, comes around."