Table of contents

Chairman's foreword

The Committee's Inquiry

• I Functions of the Federal-State Relations Committee
• II Appointments to the Committee
• III Terms of Reference of the Federal-State Relations Committee
• IV Introduction to the Report

Executive summary

Chapter 1: Australian federalism and intergovernmental relations

• The historical background to Australian federalism
• The nature of federal government
  • Advantages of federalism
  • Abolition of the States
  • Relations between governments in a federal system
• Federal institutions established by the Constitution
  • The Inter-State Commission
  • The Senate

Chapter 2: The trend to centralisation in the Australian federation

• The open-ended nature of Commonwealth power
  • The role of the High Court
• Federal finances
• Federal financial institutions
  • The Financial Premiers Conference
  • The Commonwealth Grants Commission
  • The Australian Loan Council

Chapter 3: New Federalism and new intergovernmental bodies

• ‘New Federalism’
  • Whitlam
  • Fraser
• Hawke’s New Federalism
  • The aims of Hawke’s New Federalism
  • The significance of intergovernmental bodies
  • The 1990s Special Premiers Conference
• The Council of Australian Governments
  • Keating
  • Howard
• The Leaders’ Forum
• The Treaties Council
• Ministerial Councils
• Tables
  • Heads of Governments meetings under 1990s New Federalism
  • The development of 1990s New Federalism
  • National policy making

Chapter 4: Microeconomic liberalisation under 1990s New Federalism

• The definition of ‘microeconomic liberalisation’
• The perceived need for microeconomic liberalisation
• Regulatory harmonisation
• National Competition Policy
• Mutual recognition
• National uniform standards established by joint Commonwealth-State decision-making bodies
  • Companies and securities
  • National food standards
  • Transportation
  • Non-bank financial institutions
  • Environmental protection
• Intergovernmentalism and the role of parliaments
  • Scrutiny
  • Law-making
  • Oversight of government
• Other elements of microeconomic liberalisation
  • Utilities
  • The role of the market
• Conclusion

Chapter 5: Reform of Commonwealth and State roles and responsibilities and federal fiscal relations

• Vertical fiscal imbalance
  • The extent of vertical fiscal imbalance in Australia
• Overlap and duplication
  • Competitive federalism
• Changes in Commonwealth and State roles and responsibilities
  • Disabilities services
  • Training
  • Housing
  • Health and community services
• 1990s New Federalism and federal fiscal relations
  • Tied grants review
  • Taxation powers review
  • Recent developments

Chapter 6: Continuing roles for intergovernmental bodies

• Roles for intergovernmental bodies
• The importance of Heads of Government to federal reform
• The continuing importance to the States of intergovernmental bodies
  • The Council of Australian Governments
  • The Leaders’ Forum
  • A permanent intergovernmental secretariat
• Conclusion

Appendices

1. Glossary
2. Submissions to date
3. Meetings and witnesses to date
4. Bibliography