Competitive Federalism

The LDP supports competitive federalism as it was intended by the founders of the constitution.

Policy

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP):

• Supports competitive federalism as it was intended by the founders of the constitution.
• Would encourage competition between the States in the pursuit of economic growth and development.
• Would seek to remove the Commonwealth government from areas in which its powers are reliant on having signed international treaties.
• Would cease all Commonwealth involvement in health and education.
• Would restore to the States the power to impose income taxes and other taxes currently reserved to the Commonwealth (within the context of a substantially reduced overall tax burden)

Discussion

Where possible, government activities should be decentralised to the State level to allow the benefits of governmental competition, policy experimentation and individual choice.

This will also allow the removal of bureaucratic duplication of federal and state agencies.