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August 29, 2006
As is well known the Liberal Party in states of Australia have been in opposition for a decade, whilst the Liberal Party has been in power in Canberra. The old Liberal tactic of arguing that the state ALP governments have been high taxing and spendthrifts no longer works, as each of the state governments have run balanced budgets for two terms. The Liberal Partry in the states have failed to counterattack in the social policy fields of health, education and law and order. Consequently, the state Liberal Parties wither on the vine whilst the federal Liberal Party blossoms. One reason for why they are out of favour with voters was their market liberal economic agenda and particularly privatisation thrroughout in the 1990s.
The Howard Government's increasing centralization of power in Canberra over the last decade has reduced the states to implementaton agencies. Canberra is even dictating to the states its own view of history and that it should be taught in the state's public schools.
That is how Australian citizens currently ensure a balance of power in a democratic federation these days: the Liberal Party in power in Canberra, the ALP in power in the states. This is so despite the marked failures over health (in Queensland) and transport (in NSW) and energy (in SA). The consequence is that the accident prone state Liberal parties tear themselves apart in factional wars and so take another step to oblivion and thus a step away from winning power.
It's a strange paradox isn't it.
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