All good ambit issues. But if Australian tax payers are to gain more value for their tax dollars, then a major overhaul of the way we govern ourselves should be the biggest ambit claim of all at the 2020 Summit.

The buisiness of developing co-ordinated public policy positions between all three tiers of governments has been the responsibility of COAG, the Coalition of Australian Governments. It's time to recogognise that COAG's not working to produce the clear and decisive actions Australia needs to take on climate change, infrastructure, resources, health, education, IR, commerce, etc. Only radical surgery on our body politic can fix a broken federal structure.

COAG meetings have been notable for their long running and trenchant disagreements on vital issues of national importance. In relation to the agreements that have been made, the concessions in reaching a concensus have produced poor policies that have taken years to implement. Weak enforcement mechanisms encourage cheating.

What surgery is required for our system of government? Rudd's ambit could be to seek the powers he needs through referral of functions by the states. If that doesn't happen, then the commonwealth can attempt legislative take-over of all law making powers on issues of national importance. In today's world, that's just about everything.

Incentives to the states may help with the former approach, but if a turf dispute needs adjudication, then the High Court will determine where power really lies. The court has consistently taken a very broad view of the commonwealth government's various heads of power to make national laws rendering inconsistent state laws void.

Once national laws have been made by the Australian parliament, then Rudd's government can deliver the kind of fair programs and priority infrastructure that local communities desperately need. Without reform, he doesn't stand a chance.

The states have an important trasitional role before their medium to long term dissolution. That's to facititate an orderly transition of their functions, resources and employees to the other two tiers of government. Strong leadership is about meeting the challenges that our time calls from our Prime Minister.

it's fun to make 'wish lists', i guess. must be, otherwise, why do it?

there's a few hundred 'real people' in australia, the inheritors of the british 'real people' who ruled when oz was established. the british upperclass has been 'helped' into inconsequence by the political 'men-of-business' who replaced them in parliament. they will make all the decisions, as 'squire this' and 'm'lord that' once did in their place. it's called 'parliamentary democracy' nowadays, even though there's a monarch. hard to say if the whole nation has an 'emperor's new clothes' psychosis, or if doublethink and newspeak can be imposed without a ministry of love.

in any event, no one of consequence will pay any attention to this article, not should they. the duty of a politician is to get elected. spreading truth and justice never helped that process.