National Government

[Sojourner]

I think that there are several changes that need to be made in relation to the way Governments run in Australia and the way that they interact with one another across state lines, the following things should be nationalised,

1, All the State Police Forces should be merged to the Federal Police.

2, All Prisions should be run by one central body.

3, National Road Rules should be across all of Australia. Motor Transport in general should be federally run.

4, One education system - HSC for all students.

5, Water Managment of all resevoirs and infrastructure should be centrally run.

6, Public Transport should be nationalised, Tickets should be the same price across Australia on the smart card scheme and should work in any network.

7, All hospitals should be run by Medicare themselves.

It seems to me that we over replicate and make massive amounts of red tape to do anything. If someone from S.A is charged with an offence in W.A, why should the SA police have to apply to the courts in WA to extradite that person? What a phenominal waste of resources, yet one that is replicated over and over again in what I have posted above and plus no doubt various other things that could be made examples of!

[Psyber]

Yes, a single national government - also streamlined. Let's be radical!

I'd suggest a small executive of say 9 or 10 including the Chairman/Prime Minister to make immediate and urgent decisions, as only a small group can, replaces the lower house, a Senate of say 100 only whose job it is to review those decisions over a longer time and ratify or alter them and to undertake reviews of other existing law and policy continues, and then a directly elected Governor/President - who is there to represent the people and restrict and govern the excesses of government - like a super-Ombudsman.

That poses the question of how Judges etc get appointed, perhaps appointed by the Senate but supervised by the Governor?

Then if local council areas were manned by volunteers with legitimate expenses covered, and the distribution was adjusted so that each Senatorial seat was divided into council areas that could be overseen by the relevant Senator who would meet with them regularly on behalf of the Senate, we may be able to end all the buck passing.

Oh, and one other thing - those remaining pollies do not get overseas junkets - if their is, say, a sewerage system to be looked at in some ther country we send an appropriate technical expert to look and report back!

Any other radical suggestions?

[Squawk]

Ideal in theory, difficult in practice.

For example, Cwlth funding to SA is currently 8% under the COAG formula, based on SA having 8% of the population. Under a national government, would we still get 8% of the treasury coffers or would this be added to the eastern seaboard expenditures?

Legislative reform can be undertaken nationally but as someone who regularly represents this state in jurisdictional negotiation processes, I can honestly say it is bloody hard to get agreement across the board and I dont think it would be any different under a single government - they would still have to consult with stakeholders across the country.

Vic, NSW and QLD are always looking to get a slice of the SA funding pie because they think they deserve it. On the other hand, we take great pride in short changing them whenever we can!

Believe it or not, SA is actually a policy leader in this country - many of our state initiatives are mirrored in other jurisdictions and at a Cwlth level. And that is exactly what Mike Rann wants to see from his public service.

We are handcuffed by our history - New Zealand on the other hand, has two levels of govt - national and local. Maybe a move to New Zealand would be an easier option?

[Ian]

3, National Road Rules should be across all of Australia. Motor Transport in general should be federally run.

They are supposed to be, all states/territories except WA & NT agreed to adopt the draft national road rules (1998 ??) through their own state legislation, SA replaced a large part of the Road Traffic Act with the national road rules (incorporated in to our Road Traffic act) in December 1999, as did Vic, NSW, ACT, Tas & Qld at various times around 98/99.
We are hell of a lot closer with road rules now than at any time since federation, a definate step in the right direction. The biggest differences are now the interpretation and level/standard of enforcement of the rules.
Motor Vehicle standards have been the same nation wide since the adoption of the Australian design rules (ADR's) in the late '60's, once again the only difference is in the way they are enforced.

Most of the other things that you mention would require constitutional change, I'm not sure that all would get through if put to the voters at a referendum.

[Psyber]

My first idea would require the National government to be moved out of the eastern states - perhaps to Alice Springs or Hawker to give them a non-eastern seaboard perspective.

I had a more radical idea at one time - run each state on a committee of 6 to 9 individuals, and have the books independently audited annually and published, like a sporting club - then run the country by telephone hook-up without any federal government. But then I am sure the Murray would be sucked dry long before it reached SA even sooner - unless we went to war over it and annexed the whole thing!

When I lived in SA I also favoured digging a moat around NSW and Victoria and possibly the Brisbane area to cut them adrift, and forming a Westralian Confederancy with WA, the NT, and northern Qld.
[The WC rules OK?!]

[stan]

Well im not sure about a national government, but getting rid of local councils would be a good idea. They are F****** useless.

[Sojourner]

On the news tonight they are mentioning the children living in Squalor that were removed from a home in the outer northern suburbs, it was mentioned that people involved had a prior history in the state of Victoria. The social worker interviewed says that Governments should be sharing information relating to child abuse so that if someone moves interestate, social services can make sure that child abuse is not continuing.

It beggars belief that this can and does happen in Australia because of stupid governments not talking to one another and I feel ads credibilty to the idea of scrapping State Governments all together. Rather than get them talking, lets just make them the same and actually solve the problem without creating the usual further layers of beauracracy.

[Psyber]

On the news tonight they are mentioning the children living in Squalor that were removed from a home in the outer northern suburbs, it was mentioned that people involved had a prior history in the state of Victoria. The social worker interviewed says that Governments should be sharing information relating to child abuse so that if someone moves interestate, social services can make sure that child abuse is not continuing.

It beggars belief that this can and does happen in Australia because of stupid governments not talking to one another and I feel ads credibilty to the idea of scrapping State Governments all together. Rather than get them talking, lets just make them the same and actually solve the problem without creating the usual further layers of beauracracy.

Here's a reference I posted under "General Discussion". http://safooty.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15922
Yes, it does strengthen the case for a single national government.