Foxy, you seem to be well with it. There is little spark for innovation among Australian politics, its all just baby steps to get re-elected. What it comes down to, is that if the Government is actually doing its job properly, clearly there is something wrong in the government structure which does not allow them to execute the task at the desired rate. The votes and the population are in the capitals, so therefore they see it as strategically necessary to canter first to the capitals. Hence why, I would suggest making new smaller subdivisions of Australia so each subdivision's governing body can more closely govern a smaller tract of land. The only other alternative if its impossible to get rid of the states is to initiate a intermediatary subdivision between States and councils so these governing bodys can more closely work with the regional communities outside the state capital. Its impssible to have good responsible governance all the time, so therefore the structure must be able to cope with these variations in administration style.

Dear Eagle,

What you're suggesting about the governance of smaller tracts of land, makes a lot of sense.

I just hope that someone of influence in Canberra reads Forums such as this one.

I fully agree with you.

Foxy your ideas are all good, I have pushed some of them in other threads, sending water inland is one.
Growing trees two for every one we cut down by law is another but let us remember.
22 million that is our number how much can we spend? so very many want American quality roads or such not remembering how much it costs.
I think our governments are aware we can not just live on the coast, and are trying to do things.
But concentration? do we mean camps? we can not compel people to stay on the land.
Maybe your list would see some stay but who pays?
Even now I would go far inland but how would I live or even buy my farm?
If we took one new inland city built it from the ground up surrounded it with water jobs and trees some would not stay city's have a call all of their own.

I am often also told about how much major projects cost, but the fact of the matter is the money needs to come from somewhere, it may mean another section of the budget making a small sacrifice, it is not upto the general public to scratch their heads trying to work out how these things are to be done, thats what we have huge bureaucracies, and treasury departments for. If all decisions were upto the general public we will be pretty buggered because we simply dont have the resources and expertise personally to come up with 100% viable solutions to these problems. But for the roads, my major suggestion would be to start off with say the Hume Highway upgrade that to world-class standard bit by bit, take the speed limit off use it as a operational trial, then just start on other roads after that once the funding returns. I would much rather go and get a normal job in the security of knowing that my country will become greater under some wise Administration, but apparently my choices are becoming limited and I may be forced to enter the political arena myself.

Canberra grew while we watched, maybe shifting our govt departments every few years is an idea?
Most don't need to be accessed by all?
Mind you I'd sooner bath a cat! than try to do it.
fluff4

fluff4
I agree that governments could greatly assist with our population density problems by distributing some government services regionally. They have already done so to some extent with call centres in Tasmania and a couple of other regional areas and the ATO used to have regional offices (I think some have now closed).

There is no earthly reason why tax returns could not be administered from anywhere within Australia nor why call centres in various departments cannot be spread around to create employment in rural areas. (I would make emergency services the exception because local knowledge is vital for 000 calls and problems have been experienced in some instances).

Central administration would still be vital to Canberra which is still a small city but many of the very large regional offices in Sydney and Melbourne could easily be located in smaller centres.