There will need to be a constitutional revision to ensure that our bicameral system works properly. The current bicameral has passed some of the worst legislation in Australian history - The Anti Terror laws and Work choices all denying citizens their rights and expanding the power of government and achieving the opposite affect of creating a greater gap between the people and the political process. The States may be redundant however a lot more consideration needs to given to the checks and balances that would operate in a two tiered system. With the trend to a supra national governing bodies like APEC how do we incoporate their emergence as a possible third tier of government. If things are left as is we may have a fourth tier of government.

The starting point of the argument is quite correct: infrastructure is deteriorating, and it is a state responsibility. But the article leaves out some vital information.

As a student many years ago I remember finding out about Vertical Fiscal Imbalance: the condition where the responsibilities of the different levels of government were out of kilter with their income base. The reality is that this imbalance has now reached a ludicrous level in this country: the commonwealth reaps far more in tax revenue than it needs, while the states have ginormous demands and greatly reduced tax income. This of course suits the Costard/Howello government, which now has billions of pork fat (read: vote buying dollars) in the kitty. Indeed, I have little doubt that the Hon. Peter foresaw some such outcome when the GST was introduced.

I don't have a vast attachment to the present system: indeed I do see some merit in a county system like the UK's. But the argument for change ought to be more soundly based than the one made by the author of the article.

Genre

Well said billie... "a time when the Australian government has been taking a larger slice of GDP in the form of taxes, it has reduced the states revenue as a percentage of GDP. In 1996 state revenue was 7% of GDP, it is now 5% of GDP.

The states have less money to provide the same services as previously so either they skimp on recurrent expenditure - salaries or they skimp on capital works - infrastructure."

However whether people are moral or corrupt depends on their own personal integrity (and up bringing), as well as how productively is earned or operates as a "best practice" in their workplace. (ie: Workplace bullies and the our poor treatment of whistleblowers).

Administrations operating under out-dated or arhaic processes need to be openly reformed.

Technolology itself needs to be accessed, shared and balanced if two way communication and progress is to be achieved by citizen's living in communities everywhere.

I agree to that we ALL ought to care more about 'having hospitals that work, buses and trains that run and schools that are properly resourced'.

Good Article Patrick Baume. "Peter Beattie, perhaps not in the detail, but definitely in the purpose, is right about council amalgamations. It is only through a far more professional and properly resourced level of local government that Australia can be governed properly, for the benefit of all its citizens, not just those in marginal State or Federal seats".

We are hoping for a new inclusive approach by government.

http://www.miacat.com/
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now the waste for instance in NSW is a disgrace

From 100% funding for schools,hospitals and so forth

40% is used for the state penpushers and 60% goes to what all should go on.

Keeping the corrupt states and since they are labor in a well paying jobs, for what to crap on us.

If labor wins the federal election it will be 60% for labor state gov

and 40% for the people.

They are not their for us.

But if you do insist on voting labor at least you will help the following;

Labor to hide paedophiles within ranks better
This does not include the problem at swansea, so how many more are writing or dictating policy within labor.

more corruption

Sexual assualts and physical assualts of children

Lies
Oh we wont privatise transport yeah right.
I told media,unions,papers before state election. I knew ,unions had to know also i told them but that is not what it was or is about, stuff the people get labor or liberal in and the jobs we can blame someone else.

You get what you get and most of you deserve it.

Stuart Ulrich
Independent Candidate for Charlton

That we in Australia suffer from one layer of government too many is, I think, well recognised. We also suffer from a surfeit of elected politicians. However simply to remove one layer will not work. Somthing needs to be done to all layers - and I think the author has the prefered outcome about right: devolve some State powers up to the Commonwealth and some powers down to the Regions (and I use Region here to represent amalgamated local government areas). State governments are next abolished.

The difficulty is less in recognising the desirable outcome than in devising a means to get there. I don't have the answer, but I believe the author has at least, in identifying a desired outcome, begged that particular question.

One hopes this debate really takes hold - Howard clearly is of the view the States are run by dunder heads - but his view is one based on opportunism and political expediency.

You could equally argue that the concept of the Federal Governement itself is not redundant in its current form.

The first rule in this discussion is that there be no sacred cows - but the process needs to governed and managed - it is all well and good people like those here shooting from the hip with bright ideas abot the future of Australian governance - as good a start as it is - but it needs a co-ordinated public debate - or we will get no where fast or somewhere no one really like to be.

I would be interested to know if any other national jusrisdiction has entertained or achieved a wholesale restructure of its form of government -

The very conservative nature of the body politic in this country and the stiff nature of our constitution leads me to think not much good if anything at all will however come from this discussion - still it might be fun to have a dig at this issue