Opinion: As states undermine the Federation they prove they should be abolished

Aside from the petty actions of premiers, the pandemic has confirmed we have too many levels of government, writes Des Houghton. VOTE IN OUR POLL

The three stooges of Australian politics are working tirelessly to discredit Scott Morrison and undermine his Government.

Powered by ugly parochialism they are destroying the Federation and belittling what it means to be Australian.

Labor’s Mark McGowan, Dan Andrews and Annastacia Palaszczuk are the three stooges of Australian politics.

Each has failed in the delivery of essential government services. Each is passing the buck to hide their failings.

The trio sniffs a climate change election and are quite happy to sow discord.

A flawed system gives them too much power.

Palaszczuk has repeatedly undermined the Prime Minister’s authority and ridiculed the National Cabinet.

It’s ludicrous, and quite odd, that it is easier to fly abroad than travel interstate.

It seems a week can’t go by without another squabble over funding.

Palaszczuk’s parochialism reached an embarrassing low when she said, “Queensland’s hospitals are for Queenslanders.”

Paul Kelly wrote in The Australian that her words represented “the ultimate symbol of blind, disreputable, selfish populism”.

The Labor states are jeopardising the national Covid-19 recovery strategy and helping to further fracture the Federation.

The states have divided families and destroyed businesses.

Perhaps the pandemic highlighted what we already know: We have too many politicians, too many levels of government and too much duplication.

Have the states outlived their usefulness? Yes.

It’s time to abolish them and expand local councils to create 15 or 16 autonomous regional governments.

Billions would be saved in MP and public servant salaries, accommodation and transport costs, not to mention generous electoral allowances.

A new model could stop taxpayer funds being channelled to unworthy projects for the financial enrichment of special interest groups such as unions.

Greg Craven, a former vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, says the Australian commonwealth is at risk. “The Australian states are ripping this Federation apart,” he told The Australian.

“It is true they have their grievances. Canberra never respected their constitutional rights and treated them as mendicant ­irritations. But what a revenge.

“Already, it realistically is impossible to imagine Western Australia or Queensland voluntarily implementing Morrison’s 70 to 80 per cent national vaccination plan.

“Ironically, for someone who has supported state rights all his life, I’m deeply worried about where we are.

“Australia will not fail like Afghanistan in blood and tears. It will collapse like the civilised state it is – in a welter of self-interest, ­disputation and mistrust.’’

Jeff Kennett was right when he said Australian states were not playing for Team Australia. The former Victorian premier warned the resurgence of state government populist powers will diminish Australia unless it is curbed.

“The premiers have postponed our ability to manage the virus,” he said.

“At the moment, we are isolated. Look at the overseas coverage Australia is getting.

“The world is changing very quickly. Unless Australia can find a common purpose, then we will finish in a far weaker position.’’

Sallyanne Atkinson points out that Gough Whitlam, and others, had advocated the abolition of the states in favour of regional councils.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s authority is being undermined at every turn.

“This may be an idea whose time has come,” the former Brisbane lord mayor told me.

Defence, trade, immigration and matters of national importance would still be dealt with by the Commonwealth government.

She agreed that parochial premiers were “ripping the Federation apart”.

“Covid has brought a whole new focus on federal-state relationships and the states have enjoyed a whole lot more power than ever before,” she said. “Regionalisation is not a straightforward notion, nor an easy one. There’s the simple matter of the Constitution in which the powers and roles of the states are enshrined. And the states have always been sacred cows on the Australian political landscape.

“Secessionists over the years have pointed out that individual states are not necessarily cohesive units, especially Queensland and Western Australia. Cairns is as far from Brisbane as Brisbane is from Melbourne.’’

Atkinson said Australia has a good model already in place – Brisbane City Council.

Brisbane City Council is a state within a state. It used to be a collection of little suburban councils and boards.

Right now, with Mayor Adrian Schrinner at the helm, the city is humming nicely. The City of Brisbane has more people than Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory combined and Schrinner and his team administer a budget in excess of $3 billion.

Atkinson said Greater Brisbane came about in 1924-25 with the amalgamation of 21 towns and shires. The Brisbane model had been a resounding success, she said.

“The population of the State of Tasmania is 550,000, rather less than Brisbane’s population of 2.4 million,” she said.

“Yet Tasmania has an Upper House of Parliament and a Lower House and sends 12 senators to Canberra.

“There’s little disagreement that Australia is over-governed and by far too many politicians.

“So, 50 years on, Gough’s idea may be worth consideration – or a discussion, at least.’’

Des Houghton is an independent media consultant and a former editor of The Courier-Mail, Sunday Mail and Sunday Sun