Shed a tier

With the recent decision by the High Court to allow the Federal government to use its Corporations power to regulate the employment framework in the vast majority of workplaces around the country, the debate has turned to what this means for the future of the states.

While the Coalition has traditionally been more in favour of states' rights than Labor, the unassailable position of the incumbent federal coalition government, combined with the equally secure position of most state Labor governments has led them to become one of the most centralising federal governments in Australia's history, with Greg Craven describing it as, "the greatest constitutional disaster to befall the states in 80 years."

I'm not sure that it's all that bad. Perhaps it is time that Australia shed a tier. For a country with a population of 20 million it's ridiculous that we have three tiers of government. A far more reasonable approach would be to abolish the states and expand the role of local/ regional governments. As someone who has lived in three states and one territory across my life, the political and cultural distinctions are minimal.

When federation first occurred, communication and transportation between the states was long, difficult and ineffective. This no longer the case. Communications technologies and aviation have long since put an end to the kind of isolation that used to exist.

Despite this, I accept that a national government in Canberra would not necessarily be able to govern effectively in all the far flung reaches of the country. This where regional governments come in. If there's an issue that is better dealt with by local communities, it should be dealt with by local communities. The fact is that most state governments only govern for the major cities anyway, with little regard for rural and regional areas. An expanded role for regional governments could breathe life back into our country towns and regions.