From the Australian: "Where the states and the territories have not done their job, it's our job to come in and do a better job," Mr Howard said.
This is incorrect. Constitutional issues aside, it is the electorate's decision to replace non-functioning governments but I am sure John Howard knows that. It is not the national government's place to collapse the boundaries between the national government and states with adhoc and arbitrary executive decisions.
Tough days to be an advocate for federalism. This site could have twenty entries a day on how anti-federalist Australia is becoming. The process has been accelerating under the Howard Government especially in the last few years.
There also has to be taken into account that the current government will act politically to maintain its power establishing emergency or acting arbitrarily if need be. This has only really been true in the last six years and was when the Howard government lost my confidence. The willingness to trade power for good governance is the sign of a tired and stale government who is creating future corruption issues for themselves. Not to mention establishing precedents for future governments to use which is a bad thing.
Australia is a constitutional political system which means it is based upon limited government and the separation of political entities. Because a present government, nationally, state or locally seeks to be re-elected does not change that inherent limitation enforced by the system itself. A government working for democratic legitimacy through re-election must work inside those limitations.
