What is the Future of the Federation?

Abstract

Federalism has proved enduring in Australia, despite predictions of its imminent demise. Yet new challenges of internationalism and social movements are cutting across old political boundaries and eroding the sovereign nation state. This article, which draws on ideas developed at length in my recent book A Federal Republic: Australia's Constitutional System of Government (Cambridge University Press, 1995), argues that the characteristics of federalism may prove surprisingly compatible with social and international trends.

Australian Fiscal Federalism: An Empirical Note on Long‐term Trends in State and Local Government Finance, 1969/70 to 1994/95

“…To some extent, the Council of Australian Government (COAG) which seeks to enhance cooperation between state and federal governments, addresses Galligan's (1996) concerns.…”