The Premier of Tasmania, Ray Groom, condemned yesterday what he called “”coercive federalism” to give the central government more power.
He said coercive federalism had come about in two ways: the Commonwealth’s “”ruthless” use of its superior financial power and the High Court’s redefinition of the Commonwealth-State balance of power.
He was speaking at a conference on “”Constitutional Changes in the 1990s” held by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory.
Mr Groom said: “”The Commonwealth knows it holds the purse strings. It knows the power this gives them and it doesn’t hesitate to use it.”
The message from the Commonwealth was “”do it our way or don’t get the funding”’.
“”This financial bullying is destroying the balance so essential to federal harmony,” he said.
The Commonwealth enforced unnecessary uniformity on many things like school and hospital designs, irrespective of local conditions.
“”It can be fairly galling dealing with those in positions of power in our Federal capital who sometimes appear to think they are the sole repositories of all that is right and good.”
Those with a different view, especially Queensland, Western Australian and Tasmania, were treated like errant schoolboys.
“”To many in Canberra, and especially in the bureaucracy, the states are little more than a troublesome nuisance,” he said.
Yet ordinary regional feelings in Australia were very strong, as witnessed by the wins of the Brisbane Broncos and the West Coast Eagles in competitions dominated by Sydney and Melbourne. People in the states wanted to control their own destinies.
Mr Groom called for a new method of selecting High Court judges. The present system of the Federal executive having virtually all the say was unfair to the states.
He thought failures by politicians to agree on federal-state issues often meant the High Court made the decision. The court would have an increasing quasi-legislative role unless the political processes became more effective.
If that happened judges might have to be made more accountable to the people.