Courage and competence needed

What a brilliant 6-1 decision by the High Court on the federal funding of the Chaplain Program.

The dysfunctionality of the federal constitution and the federal system couldn't have been made more obvious.

The major parties now have to, again, find ways to circumvent the Constitution to make sensible government possible.

Rudd passed up the opportunity in 2007 to replace the federal system with something far more effective with ALP Governments in six states and in Canberra.

Instead he opted for another reincarnation of "cooperative federalism".

Professor Gordon Greenwood writing in 1946, quoted Alfred Deakin's prediction of 1902: "The Commonwealth will increase in stature, in financial dominance, and in the determination of national priorities.

"All this has come to pass."

We need a new political party that has the courage and competence to re-organise Australia and base a new Constitution of what the sovereign people want.

The cost of federation is demonstrably massive.

The end of circumventions and implied interpretations surely is nigh.

Yes, we need more decentralisation but not of the federal kind.

Email, 21 Jun 2012

Klaas Woldring, Pearl Beach