Fourth Report: Register
of Specific Purpose
Payments received by
Victoria

Copies of the Committee's reports may be obtained by telephoning the Committee's office on (03) 9651 3582

Parliament of Victoria

Chairman - The Hon Michael John MP

Level 8, 35 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia.

Telephone: (03) 9651 3582. Facsimile: (03) 9651 3691.

International prefix is +61.

The Federal-State Relations Committee has been discontinued as of the beginning of the 54th Parliament.

The Federal-State Relations Committee is an all-party, joint investigatory committee of the Parliament of Victoria. The Committee consists of nine Members of Parliament drawn from the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly and from the Liberal, Labor and National Parties.

The Committee was established in May 1996 by resolution of both Houses of the Victorian Parliament, to "inquire into, consider and report to the Parliament on any proposal, matter or thing connected with relations between the Commonwealth Government and State and Territory Governments."

The Committee was given its reference in June 1996. The inquiry involves a broad-ranging investigation of the overlap and duplication of roles and responsibilities between the Commonwealth and the States.

The Committee tabled its first report, International Treaty Making and the Role of the States, on October 14^th 1997 in both Houses of the Victorian Parliament. Continuing its investigation into treaty matters, the Committee tabled Comments on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment in both Houses of the Victorian Parliament on April 28^th 1998.

The Committee's Terms of Reference require it to "identify reform opportunities for Commonwealth-State financial relations to give the States a secure revenue base". The Committee has been discussing the issues with experts in the fields of taxation and intergovernmental finance, and held two Public Seminars to discuss the topic of Intergovernmental Financial Relations in Australia: Taxation Reform in a Federal System, on November 5^th 1997 and February 23^rd 1998.

The Committee tabled its second report, Australian Federalism: The Role of the States, in the Legislative Assembly on October 29^th 1998 and in the Legislative Council on November 10^th 1998, and its third report, Federalism and the Role of the States: Comparisons and Recommendations in both Houses of the Victorian Parliament on May 13^th 1999. Together, these two reports consider the development and the contemporary state of federalism in Australia and a number of other countries. The Committee's third report makes a number of recommendations for the strengthening of the Australian federal system. The recommendations focus particularly on the need for robust and enduring intergovernmental institutions, improved funding for the States, and reform of the Senate.

The Committee tabled its fourth report, Register of Specific Purpose Payments Received by Victoria, on May 25^th 1999. This report documents these important Commonwealth payments to Victoria, and analyses the impact of federal funding on State policy and finances.

The Committee is committed to ongoing liaison with those Committees of other Australian Parliaments having similar responsibilities in the areas of intergovernmentalism and Commonwealth-State relations.

CURRENT INQUIRY: Overlap and Duplication
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP & STAFF
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY LIAISON
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL LINKS
VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT
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