A New Federation with a Cities and Regional Approach

This paper sets out to address these multiple, overlapping and interacting problems by
proposing a complete restructuring of the Australian Federation to a new governance model, based on two tiers of government rather than three, and with clearly designated roles and responsibilities between these tiers.

• The Federal Government would concentrate on designing, negotiating and legislating
strategic national policy and the overall financing frameworks of that policy.

• The cities and regional governments would concentrate on delivering the programs and
services emanating from those national policies to citizens and communities at the local
level, whilst also retaining full responsibility for their own policy and administration of
urban, regional and local issues.