Australians increasingly disillusioned with federal system and national tier of government

AUSTRALIANS are disillusioned with the federal system and are losing faith in the national tier of government, a new poll has revealed. 

According to the third biennial constitutional values survey, two-thirds of Australians do not believe state and federal governments are working well together, with confidence in the federal government as the most of effective level of government falling from 50 per cent in 2008 to 29 per cent. 

The findings, published in The Weekend Australian newspaper, also revealed 38 per cent of Australians believe the federal system is not working, as opposed to just over 30 per cent in 2008. 

Former NSW premier Nick Greiner told The Weekend Australian the survey showed the public was "running ahead of politicians on all of this".He said voters were "saying what the political class is in denial about, which is that the federation is dysfunctional and due for a 100-year refresher".

The survey, commissioned for Griffith University's federalism project and conducted by Newspoll, tests how Australians feel about the federal system; their confidence in how federal, state and local levels are working; and their view of inter-government collaboration.

According to the report, the drop of confidence in federalism correlates with Labor's period in government, accelerating during the period of minority government since 2010.

Griffith University's Professor AJ Brown, the survey's lead researcher,  said the declining faith in governments suggested Australia was headed for a "crisis of confidence" unless greater political priority was again given to issues of federal co-operation and longer-term reform.

"There are signs that citizens are declaring a 'plague on all your houses' when it comes to confidence in the future of governance - that with reduced faith in the federal level of government, they are being left with nowhere to turn."

theaustralian.com.au 17 Nov 2012

The Australian government has no regard for the opinion of the masses.

It is a self elected government that is full of lies and corrupt deals supporting corporations.

Even if any government officials are caught in corrupt deals, they are untouched by the law.

The true extent of Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard's corrupt deals will never be known to the general populous.

The truly untouchable ruling elite.