This essay is a welcome change to all the ‘ditch the states’ rhetoric we’ve been getting lately. The campaign to prove the States redundant seems to have burst on the scene with suspiciously synchronised firepower – just at the same time that Canberra has launched several heavy-handed grabs at areas that traditionally belong to the State and Local arenas.

By all means, have a debate about what aspects of Federalism are in need an overhaul, but let’s have a little transparency about who and what are driving the agenda.

yes

yes, asap. Federalism seemed a good idea in the 19th century, it is a colossal waste of money in the 21st. What state functions can't be performed by either local or central government? Abolish the states and provide constitutional protection for local government.

how are you going to provide constitutional protection for local government? the people who will write the new constitution are the people who most threaten local (and state) government.

when you say: "do we need...", you should first ask if you have the power to do something. the answer will always be "no", unless you're in cabinet. then you should ask: "who does have power.." and the answer will always be 'cabinet'.

ozzies like to pretend they are citizens, dunno why.

Good piece
I think the creeping centralism of the current government is driven by many things – ideological differences, plain thirst for power, frustration at states’ perceived incompetence (though I agree with the author that the evidence suggests Canberra is worse) and straight political opportunism – it’s easier to attack Labor’s record as state managers than lay a glove on Rudd.

As the discussions in these forums suggest, there is a lively diversity of views on this in Australia. Personally I’m a federalist and want to keep the States, but I respect that there’s validity in the counter position. By all means let’s have the argument and then decide democratically through a referendum or similar. We should not, however, sit by and watch the destruction of the constitution and 100+ years of Federation by white-anting the of States’ finances and political autonomy.

In the West we had 3 referendums on the daylight saving issue. Each time the people voted against having it. Our democratically elected Labour party ignored the wishes of the people and introduced it anyway. All Governments pick and choose what they allow the people to have a say on. The State Governments have proven to be totally inadequate when dealing with child abuse in the Aboriginal communities. Space would not allow the names of State Labour ministers under Mr Carr, Mr Beattie, Mr Bracks and Mr Carpenter who have been done for drink driving, charged with corruption and even been charged with child sex offenses.