Posted by spoonman Wednesday 17 September, 2008 07:50 PM
I want to bundle a couple of issues together here because there is a natural link.
First up, some comments over the weekend from recently sacked NSW Treasurer, Michael Costa, who reckons that State governments are morally corrupt and should be done away with.
Now this is something I have been arguing for almost 20 years now, but no-one in politics has seriously raised it as an option. Until now.
Costa says the major portfolio areas have been more focussed on keeping unions and lobby groups happy rather than providing services the people need and expect.
He says the government he is a part of is dominated by spin doctors and party machine politicians who are unqualified to govern.
Pretty strong stuff.
But in a nation that is one of the most over-governed in the world it is about time someone put this issue in front of the public.
So a question for you. Should we abolish the State governments?
Should we do away with one whole level of government, expand the roles of Local government and hand some of the State stuff, like hospitals and schools, over to the Federal Government?
Is it time this historical hang-over from Federation - the State governments got the flick?
Ok, issue number two.
With the former head of the Australian Republican Movement, Malcolm Turnbull, now installed as the leader of the Federal Liberal Party and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd being a staunch Republican, it looks like the whole Republic issue might not only get back on the agenda, but actually succeed this time.
It only failed back in 1999 because then PM John Howard refused to support it and did all he humanly could to scuttle the whole thing.
So is it about time to put the Republic back on the agenda, where we will dump the Queen as our head of State and go with an Australian President instead?
So what is the link between these two questions?
Well, in order to get a Republic up, we need to have a referendum on changes to the Australian Constitution to allow it.
And because our Federation was an amalgamation of the States, which until
1901 were almost different countries, we would need to change the Constitution pretty significantly to bring about the demise of the State governments.
So on both questions the Republic and abolishing the State governments we need to have referendums that involve fairly radical Constitutional changes.
What we really need is a massive gab-fest which would work out the best ways to bring both of these changes about, at the same time.
Yes, it¹s radical. But I get the impression the average Aussie is sick to death of having a foreign Head of State, and a bunch of State governments that stuff up more than they fix.
So what do you think?
Two questions. Do we abolish the State governments?
And with Republicans leading both major federal parties, is it time to lose the Queen and Governor General and get an Aussie installed as President?
Over to you......
