At a time when the operation and reform of federal relations within Australia is squarely on the political agenda, this volume brings together eminent lawyers, economists and political scientists who explain, analyse and evaluate the theory and principles underpinning the Australian federal system. Topics covered include the High Court's approach to the interpretation of the Constitution and how this has influenced federal relations in practice; different forms of inter-governmental co-operative arrangements; fiscal relations between the Commonwealth and the States; and emergent ethno-cultural and socioeconomic diversity within the Australian Federation. Comparative perspectives from Germany, America, Canada, Switzerland, India and the European Union provide unique prisms through which to view the operation of the Australian system and to contemplate its reform.
1. Australian federalism: past, present and future tense Gabrielle Appleby, Nicholas Aroney and Thomas John; Part I. The Federal-State Balance: 2. The federal balance Stephen Gageler; 3. The incredible shrinking Federation: voyage to a singular state? The Hon. Chief Justice Robert French AC; 4. A sketch of the modern Australian Federation The Hon. Chief Justice Paul de Jersey AC; 5. The still reluctant state: Western Australia and the conceptual foundations of Australian federalism Augusto Zimmermann; 6. The division of powers in federal systems: comparative lessons for Australia Greg Taylor; Part II. Instituting Structural Reform: Comparative Perspectives: 7. Reforming German federalism Arthur B. Gunlicks; 8. Polyphonic federalism: the United States experience Robert A. Schapiro; 9. The rise of coercive federalism in the United States: dynamic change with little formal reform John Kincaid; 10. The bargaining game: Canada as a new model of federal governance Thomas O. Hueglin; 11. 'Bis hierher sollst du kommen und nicht weiter': the German constitutional court and the boundaries of the European integration process Cornelia Koch; Part III. Federalism and Multi-ethnic Societies: 12. Dynamics of federalism: a comparative analysis of recent developments in federations and countries in transition to federalism Thomas Fleiner; 13. Religious identities: testing the underlying preconceptions of Canadian federalism? Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens; 14. Foedus pacificum: a response to ethnic regionalism within nation states Suri Ratnapala; 15. Federal diversity in Australia: a counter narrative Nicholas Aroney, Scott Prasser and Alison Taylor; Part IV. Fiscal Federalism: 16. Fiscal federalism in Canada: principles, practices, problems Robin Boadway; 17. Fiscal federalism: then and now Brian Galligan; 18. Fiscal decentralisation and macroeconomic performance in Australia Philip Bodman; Part V. Reforming Australia's Federal System: 19. Escaping purgatory: public opinion and the future of Australia's federal system A. J. Brown; 20. The Rudd reforms and the future of Australian federalism Alan Fenna and Geoff Anderson; 21. Co-operative arrangements in comparative perspective Cheryl Saunders; 22. Federalism and the Australian judicial system - back to the future: the autochthonous expedient and other devices The Hon. Justice Margaret White; 23. Federalism in Australia: gazing in the crystal ball of constitutional reform Anne Twomey.
Gabrielle Appleby is a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide researching the constitutional role of the Solicitor-General in Australia. Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law in the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland. Thomas John heads the Commonwealth Attorney-General Department's private international law section.
Reviews for The Future of Australian Federalism: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
'This diverse and wide-ranging collection brings together some of the best thinkers on federalism both locally and internationally, and enriches contemporary debates on the challenges and possibilities of Australian federal reform by placing them in engaging comparative perspective. It will be of interest to students, academics and public policy practitioners across law, political science and economics, and is highly recommended as a significant contribution to federal scholarship.' Paul Kildea, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics This diverse and wide-ranging collection brings together some of the best thinkers on federalism both locally and internationally, and enriches contemporary debates on the challenges and possibilities of Australian federal reform by placing them in engaging comparative perspective. It will be of interest to students, academics and public policy practitioners across law, political science and economics, and is highly recommended as a significant contribution to federal scholarship. Paul Kildea, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics
