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Federalism: Distance and Devolution
Author(s) -
Wilkins Roger B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
australian journal of politics and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-8497
pISSN - 0004-9522
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8497.2004.00323.x
Subject(s) - federalism , devolution (biology) , position (finance) , political science , cooperative federalism , public administration , new federalism , political economy , geography , law , sociology , business , politics , archaeology , finance , human evolution
Is the current federal system in Australia still relevant? Have the historical forces which made federation a necessary step in Australia's journey toward nationhood largely disappeared? Australian federalism has united six disparate states into one nation and established national infrastructure to enhance our position domestically and internationally. The geographic tyranny of distance that divided the colonies has been overcome through improved transport, telecommunications and information technology. This article explores the historical basis of Australian federalism and asks whether federalism remains relevant for meeting the challenges facing Australia in the twenty‐first century.