Publisher's Synopsis
The Australian system of government is now over a century old. The country has changed out of all recognition; does the structure of government need change also? Restructuring Australia provides accessible accounts of current debate on three key issues: regionalism, republicanism and reform of the nation-state. Leading commentators from across the political spectrum ask the fundamental questions: what do Australians want and need from their system of government and what role will structural reform play in delivering this vision in the twenty-first century? The first section of the book examines whether Australia, as a nation, has the right territorial structure of government. Should we have more or fewer or different States? Or is Australiaâ_Ts current federal constitutional structure still appropriate despite the modern shape of Australian regionalism? The second theme is the role Australians want for their official head-of-state: who should be head-of-state, what relationship should they have with the Australian people, and what process should be involved? The final section considers where Australiaâ_Ts structure of government stands in relation to the outside world. It analyses how Australiaâ_Ts structure of government is performing in light of worldwide changes in the role of the nation-state, and asks how structural reforms might help the Australian nation-state to operate in a globalising world.
