Australian Politics.

[damian]

Others on this thread (Waldo?) have suggested a new thread on the Australian government. I had considered starting it. Would anyone else want this discussion to take place ?

The structure of our countries government properly belongs elsewhere as some on this thread object to it.

Thoughts ?

[HappyHammer]

Sure why not, as long as it is about the structure and not a bashing.

HH.

[m2c1Iw]

Others on this thread (Waldo?) have suggested a new thread on the Australian government. I had considered starting it. Would anyone else want this discussion to take place ?

The structure of our countries government properly belongs elsewhere as some on this thread object to it.

Thoughts ?

"Oz politics" now that is broad enough that can't complain about being off topic.

[Gingermick]

Sure why not, as long as it is about the structure and not a bashing.

HH.

someone mentioned in another thread about swine aviation, I guess a similar response is necessary.

[RETIRED]

Keep it civil and on topic with no vitriol towards any party and it will survive.

[kiwigeo]

What about vitriol to ALL parties?

[Gingermick]

I advocate the athenian style. Every year 1000 people get chosen at random to govern the country. That's democracy

[Fuzzie]

I advocate the athenian style. Every year 1000 people get chosen at random to govern the country. That's democracy

As long as you weren't in the slave demographic.

[jimbur]

As long as you weren't in the slave demographic.

Or a woman

[HappyHammer]

I advocate the athenian style. Every year 1000 people get chosen at random to govern the country. That's democracy

I like it who does the random choosing, how do we stop choice rigging?

HH.

[jimbur]

I like it who does the random choosing, how do we stop choice rigging?

HH.

Use the Socratic solution - when you catch them, feed them hemlock

[HappyHammer]

I'd prefer feeding them to the Lions.... oh no this is Australia Politics let's make that Crocodiles.

HH.

[damian]

First I'd like to point out I posted this as an entry in the mining tax thread, mods made it a new topic.

Perhaps in order for this to be useful you might list what you think is wrong with the current system, why and how to fix it. You could do this either issue by issue or as a comprehensive statement of reform. I'll type mine up when I get time, brace yourselves it'll be a novel...

[kiwigeo]

A few comments off the top of my head:

1. In the days when it took days to get a message from Perth to Canberra a good argument could be put forward for having state governments. These days with communications vastly improved the argument doesn't really hold.
2. Duplication of services by State and Federal (and sometimes also local) governments is straight out wasting of taxpayers dollars. Example: I recently looked at putting in a grey water system....first job would have been obtaining a permit from both my local council as well as my state government authority....$300 blown already paying two groups of people to do the same job twice.
3. Interstate rivalries exist that lead to one state government doing things differently from a neighbouring state purely for the sake of doing it differently.
4. Having seperate state governing/licensing bodies for professions where the standards of service delivery are effectively the same nationwide are another waste of tax payers dollars. Nursing registration is a good example of this. Where differences in standards necessitates state governing/licensing bodies then efforts should be made to bring about nationwide standards that can be managed by a single governing body. A good example of this is driver licensing. How hard would it be to introduce a set of National Road rules?
5. Without sitting down and thinking really hard I cant think of many good reasons to have State and local governments. It's an old institution that might have worked in the past but has long outlived it's usefulness.

Cheers Martin

[HappyHammer]

The more money that can be saved by streamlining government the better. The problem is that as we have seen with the Super Profit Tax it's not easy to bring in this type of reform as someone is inevitably impacted in a negative way even if the greater good of the nation is served.

Anyone that thinks the type of reform required in government structure, political red tape and in particular taxes needs to occur with no negative impact anywhere is dreaming.

We also shouldn't forget the Senate, exactly what value are they providing as the third or arguably the fourth tier of government. They are as irrelevant to me as the House of Lords was when I lived in England.

HH.