Just recently a soft core proposition surfaced that W.A. should become independent from the rest of Australia. This is not the first time that this proposition has been mooted. W.A. is a wealthy State, because of Exploration and Mining booms and, of course the Royalties which come as rewards for the State. A larger proportion of W.A.'s GST is given over to the the Federal Government,which in my opinion is "fair enough".
However W.A. residents pay more for domestic gas than do the people extracting it (overseas companies no doubt). But by the by. Many people on a few occasions have moved for State Independence, one such notable was of course, Prince Leonard of Hutt River Province, who actually broke away from W.A.with his farm, which then became Independent from W.A. Government. Of course he was regarded as a joke, but the joker made heaps of money, literally, he had his own currency printed, was able to KNIGHT people if they visited him, in fact it turned into a lucrative tourist attraction. I would like to think what people in other States think about this. Our Premier said that "I am Australian First, and Western Australian Second". I too am a Western Australian. Would like some comment, personally I think of Australia as a one population.
NSB

Hi Noisy. As a Queenslander I can well understand the desire of many in the west to divorce Oz.

For the hundred years or more, when Qld & WA were agrarian societies both states were ripped off mightily by the import duty system. It supported NSW & Vic in their inefficient industries so that we paid too much for not only our imported inputs, but for the locally produced inputs as well.

Of course country NSW & Vic ware also disadvantaged, if to a lesser extent. It is fair to say that the prosperity of all Oz was to a greater or lesser extent, compromised to support the two Gross cities of Sydney & Melbourne.

We may no longer have those import duties strangling us, but we now have the huge albatross of Canberra, & it's burgeoning bureaucracy to bleed us to the bone.

Perhaps we, WA & Qld should include the Northern Territory & form a new country, letting the south east try to survive on it's own initiatives. It would be much less expensive supporting the territory rather than the whole country.

Once a separate country we could decide how much foreign aid we were prepared to give to our poor southern neighbours, rather than have Canberra decide how much of our wealth they are prepared to let us keep.

Did you notice a thought balloon floated recently, suggesting that mining royalties should accrue to the Commonwealth, rather than the states. They never stop trying to get anything of value into their grasp. I think the Canberra bureaucracy actually live in fear that the two resource states may just decide to get out from under some time. Without our income, half of them would have to go.

Hasbeen

Personally, I could not care less one way or the other but often these romantic ideas can backfire long term

Hospitals, Schools, Animal Welfare etc etc. Whom are the answerable to in 50 years 10 years time?

Apart from which it wont happen because it would be blocked imop

cheers

Noisy, I say a big fat NO to the secession of WA.

WA Premier Barnett was right to raise mining taxes recently, as there should definitely be a better return from OUR resources to US, and less to the mining companies.

And Treasurer Swan was also right to then reduce the amount of GST that WA would receive and hence increase it for the other states. This effectively meant that the whole country benefitted from an increase in mining royalties in WA, as it should have.

As you say, because of the wealth generated in WA, the federally controlled GST was already less for WA than for other states. But it should be this way, as the returns from our resources should be approximately evenly distributed across the country.

There is pressure from some people to get WA to secede so that it can hold on to the wealth generated here in the west and not share any of it with the rest of the old country.

Phoowey to that! That would only create conflict.

And it would then put pressure on Queensland to secede and for north Queensland to become a separate state, and for different regions with different types of industry to become more autonomous, etc, etc.

One country with a better distribution of wealth, that’s what we need. Not two or more countries on this continent with significant wealth differentials.

Queensland and WA may now provide more income to the Commonwealth than they receive from the Commonwealth . A proper independent accounting would be necessary to verify that , and not merely an assertion such as is contained in the opening post .

However , before the recent mining boom , those states were net debtors to the Commonwealth and that should be brought into account . Once the non - renewable resources have been exhausted , those states may again become dependent on the Commonwealth . They may become massive versions of Nauru .

Apart from the economic considerations , states with smaller populations may require assistance from the Commonwealth in case of war , where a larger national defence force will provide greater protection than smaller mini - country defence forces . Australia commands greater respect internationally as a country of 23 million than smaller components of the present Australian continent would command .

Secession is a fantasy which periodically is raised whenever a small number of disaffected residents in the relevant states feel aggrieved about not receiving what they believe is their entitlement to share more generously in national wealth . Like all fantasies , it makes people feel good for a while , but the fantasies never become reality . Neither will secession .

I am all for secession of WA and the use of the continual threat
of secession, to get a fair deal for WA. At the moment the place
is treated like a cash cow and little else. Only the best for
Canberra and surrounds, WA gets a few scraps and all the costs
of infrastructure to bankroll the rest of the country. Phooey to
that!