Get rid of state governments? Yes please, sooner the better. Should get rid of most local government as well, Australia simply cannot justify the size of its colonial bureaucratic conditioning system.

”..what about those (many) who have long argued for alternatives but were steadfastly ignored, often ridiculed, or told "this is too difficult”, "impossible", "cannot be done" and "Australians are too conservative"?

The right of course needs all those bureaucrats so’s it can effectively maintain the status quo and slow down any hint of progressive change – anti-racism, anti-sexism, social justice, education, health – while crowing about how it supports less government interference. Lol. In fact of course it has been the left that has the significant heritage of systematically and consistently calling for the community sector to be expanded and the government sector to be curtailed. Great article, thanks.

<< Around the nation we hear the joyful strains that the states are on the way out! So all Australians - let us rejoice. Instead of endlessly finding fault, as is often the Opposition leader's refrain, the time has come for the entire nation to move on and replace federation. >>

I agree. The states are colonial anachronisms that have passed their use-by date. Health and education are just two examples of areas of governmental responsibility that are bogged down in wasteful and inefficient duplication of bureaucracy.

Unfortunately, the removal of the states will require the kind of Constitutional reform that is almost impossible to achieve in Australia. I won't hold my breath.

Majority of People in the Majority of States. You only need to convince this many eligible voters and you can make any change to the Constitution you want. Yes, democracy is a messy business but the fail safe mechanisms built into the old parchment mean that we get to negotiate and compromise (a la the Hospitals "takeover") when we hit a constitutional snag. If this article achieves nothing else I hope it encourages a few more people to track down the document and read it.

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/comlaw/comlaw.nsf/440c19285821b109ca256f3a001d59b7/57dea3835d797364ca256f9d0078c087/$FILE/ConstitutionAct.pdf

The sooner the better - duplicated parliamentary systems and functions are astronomically expensive. State parliamentarians aren't going to give up self-interested power without a struggle. We might have to manage the public service - the Sir Humphries won't like it one bit.

And you'll have to convince people who will think State of Origin matches might become a thing of the past.

There was a time, when I too supported the abolition of the States but I was reminded of the associated risks, when the Howard Govt gained a majority in both Federal Houses of Parliament and assumed an effective-dictatorship.

I am concerned, over the potential for a repeat of the Howardian-style trampling of justice, freedom and democracy. With the likes of Abbott at the helm, I am particularly fearful of a 1950's-style return to rule, privatise, deceive, divide, conquer, reward and punish, with impunity.

Hint: think 'Regional Rorts', folks!

Australia: population 21,374,000

Two “Unitary” countries:

UK: population 61,399,118
France: population 62,048,473

I don’t see a one party state in either of them Equitist. I think you are jumping at shadows.