The Progressive Democrats cannot continue to talk about the abolition of the Seanad and at the same time take seats in it, delegates at the conference were told.
Cllr Victor Boyhan, a member of Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Council, said members of the Oireachtas would not vote themselves out of existence and the PDs had to be realistic.
"I also believe we have made a mistake with this policy and we should be prepared to admit that - and change our policy."
Speaking during a workshop on political reform, Mr Boyhan said Seanad reform should include electoral as well as political reform. It should involve a representative panel system, he said, along the same lines as the Strategic Policy Committees at local government level which involves both elected representatives and local interests in policy formulation.
"In this way it would become a truly representative body. The day when only councillors and a number of privileged academics have a vote in the Senate has to end and end right now. Reform in this regard must commence immediately."
Mr Boyhan said that in the present climate of cynicism, alienation and outright hostility to politics and politicians, the PDs would be fooling only themselves to believe such hostility was reserved for Fianna Fail alone, it applied to all politicians.
"Our party is strong on ethics in public life but we have been tainted by association with Fianna Fail. Political integrity will be a major issue in the next election."
He said the co-working of representative democracy alongside participative democracy should be the principal objective of all political reform. "It has now been acknowledged as a principle for local democracy. This principle should be applied equally to the Seanad . . . If we are serious about political reform, it has to be genuine reform and not cosmetic. It has to yield results."