The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations
The High Court's decision in the ‘Work Choices’ case expanding further the scope of the Commonwealth's enumerated powers is the latest reminder of the highly centralised nature of Australian federalism. The division of powers traditionally forming the essence of a federal system has become...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Blackwell Publishing Asia P/L
2007
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27994 |
| _version_ | 1848752417470939136 |
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| author | Fenna, Alan |
| author_facet | Fenna, Alan |
| author_sort | Fenna, Alan |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The High Court's decision in the ‘Work Choices’ case expanding further the scope of the Commonwealth's enumerated powers is the latest reminder of the highly centralised nature of Australian federalism. The division of powers traditionally forming the essence of a federal system has become increasingly difficult to discern and the roles and responsibilities of the two levels of government have become entangled. While for a good part of Australia's history divided jurisdiction was deplored as an obstacle to progress in government, today the decay of the system is most likely to be lamented. Discussion of options for reform presupposes an understanding of the forces that have led to the present condition. This article examines the Australian experience in a broader comparative and historical perspective and suggests that those forces are endemic and substantial. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:08:17Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-27994 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:08:17Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publisher | Blackwell Publishing Asia P/L |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-279942017-09-13T15:13:27Z The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations Fenna, Alan global trends in federalism centralisation federalism The High Court's decision in the ‘Work Choices’ case expanding further the scope of the Commonwealth's enumerated powers is the latest reminder of the highly centralised nature of Australian federalism. The division of powers traditionally forming the essence of a federal system has become increasingly difficult to discern and the roles and responsibilities of the two levels of government have become entangled. While for a good part of Australia's history divided jurisdiction was deplored as an obstacle to progress in government, today the decay of the system is most likely to be lamented. Discussion of options for reform presupposes an understanding of the forces that have led to the present condition. This article examines the Australian experience in a broader comparative and historical perspective and suggests that those forces are endemic and substantial. 2007 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27994 10.1111/j.1467-8500.2007.00551.x Blackwell Publishing Asia P/L restricted |
| spellingShingle | global trends in federalism centralisation federalism Fenna, Alan The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title | The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title_full | The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title_fullStr | The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title_short | The Malaise of Federalism: comparative reflections on Commonwealth-State relations |
| title_sort | malaise of federalism: comparative reflections on commonwealth-state relations |
| topic | global trends in federalism centralisation federalism |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27994 |