Little wonder NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet likes to use the catchy description “Canberra comatosis” – part coma, part sclerosis – as he laments the lack of reform coming out of the national capital over the past decade.

He conveniently overlooks a similar semi-paralysis crippling a generation of state governments in pursuing their own major reforms, as they prefer to blame Canberra for starving them of funds.