... WHAT ARE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS? 4 4 AUSTRALIA’S FEDERATION – HOW IS IT OPERATING? 5 5 INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS 8 6 INTERNATIONAL FEDERAL SYSTEMS: A BRIEF OVERVIEW 9 7 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 PRINCIPLES OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS EFFECTIVENESS TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY EFFICIENCY INDEPENDENCE 11 11 33 34 37 40 8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 INTERGOVERNMENTAL FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS REVENUE RAISING SPENDING FISCAL EQUALISATION MONITORING POLICY 43 43 51 55 56 57 9 CONCLUSION 59 INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS INTRODUCTION 1| INTRODUCTION Australia, like many other systems of government around the world, is a federal system. Federations, while divided into different levels of government inevitably have a degree of interdependency between governments. Inescapably there arises a degree of conflict or ineffective governance. For example, disputes may arise between different governments on the basis of service provision or infrastructure, constitutional jurisdiction, fiscal arrangements (e.g. vertical fiscal imbalance or spending powers) or environmental or social issues. Most federations have developed a system of intergovernmental consultation and cooperation to deal with such issues, and to manage and foster cooperation between governments. The character of intergovernmental arrangements is unique to each federation, and...
Words: 23183 - Pages: 93
...INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN FEDERAL SYSTEMS 39 7.5| INDEPENDENCE The actions and decisions of intergovernmental relations must be free from undue influence from political or private interests. They must have high-level commitment. The Productivity Commission has a very important role in Australia’s economic competitiveness in identifying reform priorities for Australia, and conducting detailed research and making recommendations on potential solutions. The Productivity Commission’s contribution to the understanding of our federal system has been seen in a number of reports it has produced, including the recent compilation of materials from the 2006 Roundtable Proceedings in Canberra entitled Productive Reform in a Federal System. The Productivity Commission’s role in federal–state relations is limited however: + The research priorities are set by the Commonwealth Government (and therefore potentially guided by political interests of the day rather than long-term objectives) and there is limited opportunity for the Productivity Commission to set its own work priorities. + There is no ‘buy-in’ by the state governments (either in terms of the direction of the Productivity Commission’s work agenda, the funding of the Commission or the outcomes). + There is no requirement for the Commonwealth Government to respond to the reports of the Productivity Commission, and therefore less accountability for the findings. Two considerations...
Words: 6813 - Pages: 28
...head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constituent state. In countries the heads of the constitutive states, provinces, communities and regions may be titled Governor, although this is less common in parliamentary systems such as in some European nations and many of their former colonies, which use titles such as President of the Regional Council in France and Minister-President in Germany, where in some states there are governorates (German: Regierungsbezirke) as sub-state administrative regions. Other countries using different titles for sub-national units include Spain and Switzerland. The title also lies, historically, to executive officials acting as representatives of a chartered company which has been granted exercise of sovereignty in a colonial area, such as the British HEIC or the Dutch VOC. These companies operate as a major state within a state with its own armed forces. There can also be non-political governors: high ranking officials in private or similar governance such as commercial and non-profit management, styled governor(s), who simply govern an institution, such as a corporation or a bank. For example, in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries there are prison governors ("warden" in the United States), school governors and bank governors. The Role of a Governor is different with respect to different Constitutions. In case of the Republic Nations, the role of the Governor...
Words: 7861 - Pages: 32
...Nathan Worling Z5057106 ZEIT8303 PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE Federation Square Project Designed by Donald Bates and Peter Davidson – LAB Architecture Studio Opened 26th of October 2002 Estimated cost - $473 million NATHAN WORLING -‐ Z5057106 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................. 3 2 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 4 3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE AREAS ....................................... 5 3.1 PROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT ..................................................... 5 3.2 PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT ......................................................... 6 3.3 PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT ........................................................ 7 3.4 PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT ................................ 9 4 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 10 5 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................... 11 6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 12 ZEIT8303 – PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE 2 NATHAN WORLING -‐ Z5057106 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...
Words: 2373 - Pages: 10
...Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia Developed under the auspices of Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, Australian College of Nursing, Australian Nursing Federation Introduction This Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia has been developed for the nursing profession in Australia. It is relevant to all nurses at all levels and areas of practice including those encompassing clinical, management,education and research 1 domains. This Code is framed by the principles and standards set forth in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the World Health Organization’s Constitution and publication series entitled Health and Human Rights; and the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report 2 2004: Cultural liberty in today’s diverse world. In considering this Code and its companion, the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia, it should be borne in mind that they are designed for multiple audiences: nurses; nursing students; people requiring or receiving nursing care; the community generally; employers of nurses; nursing regulatory authorities; and consumer protection agencies. It is also noteworthy that the concepts of ‘ethics’ and ‘morality’ are substantially the same and have been used interchangeably throughout this Code. This Code outlines the nursing profession’s commitment to respect, promote, protect...
Words: 7529 - Pages: 31
...engineering sector is one such area where the concept of sustainable development is regarded as a key tenet guiding ethical conduct among engineers. This paper traces the history of the concept of sustainable development and how it is practically incorporated into the engineering profession. Further, this paper examines the current Engineers’ Code of Ethics and how it addresses the issue of sustainable development. There have been various definitions regarding the concept of sustainable development. However, all these definitions revolve around the concept of need and limitation. The all time famous definition was one brought forward by the world Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 that termed sustainable development as, ”development that satisfies present needs without undermining the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.”. This definition was further modified in 2002 at the world summit on sustainable development held in Johannesburg to incorporate key development milestones that is; Social, economic and environment development. The inclusion of the three milestones broadened the definition by the Brundtland Commission to include concerns emergent issues regarding social justice equity and human development. On the other...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
...Everywhere in the world, the issue of climate change presents an archetypal environmental problem. Communities often fight governments, both at the state and national levels in a bid to protect the environment they have known for ages. Governments, on the other hand, protect these natural settings by formulating laws and policies that ensure the society does not lose its treasures[1]. However, some seek to use the protected spaces as a means of developing projects that will provide the state or nation with more resources, revenues and products. These may be good developmental projects, but they ought to protect the environment first before they can sell such ideas to a conservative society. As in all other nations, Australia has also been engulfed in a fight to save the environment as the government looks at creating developmental projects that will necessary block any advantages that the local community has enjoyed since time immemorial[2]. By seeking to repeal at least 60% of protection that the New South Wales Far North Coast’s forests, wetlands and wildlife habitant, the government is slowly seeking to destroy the local community. Conservatives will agree that the best way of protecting the environment is by setting aside a portion of some indigenous scenery and protect it from encroachment[3]. However, encroachment is still a biting problem and the recent statements by the authorities only heighten the environmental issues at hand. Legal processes and issues have arisen with...
Words: 3376 - Pages: 14
...Introduction Australia has got about 500 different cultural groups with each having its own beliefs capacity, and values. Among these groups, there is one of the oldest cultures that date back to at least 50,000 years that is known as Aboriginal culture that comprises of practices and ceremonies of the indigenous Australians which due to its depth ,it do play a greater role in influencing the modern Australia. The impacts of social economics are on a deeper level on the indigenous people than it is on the no indigenous person I Australia which means which that Indigenous community my experience difficulties in trying co-exist with other communities and managing their local initiatives. It is witness as there are remote communities that have overcrowded households and lacking lots of basic amenities such a functional toilets, stoves and fridges.there is also a problem of mismanagement of funds due to financial low literacy, lack of back services, and demands to share resources. There is the need to understand how poor living conditions, poor education, poor education, loss of traditional roles and western culture impact impose limitations on the ability of indigenous people to engage in development. From its contribution to the modern communities, the government has to find and formulate policies promoting the social and economic development of the Aboriginal people. All these are with the aim of strengthening the government engagement and partnerships with the aboriginal people...
Words: 2001 - Pages: 9
...“How do you see the role of the Registered nurse change over the next ten years?” The nursing profession has a long history of being undervalued and has faced many challenges in regards to professional status, wages and working conditions. These challenges have been fairly constant and all the while, nurses have been fighting to enhance nursing skills and roles, while also maintaining the core nursing values. This research aims to identify the future of the registered nurse and how this may be expected to change over the next ten years; in order to do this it will explore the past history of nursing, their working conditions, challenges and achievements. Following this brief historical overview , a detailed view of modern day nursing will be the key focus of the paper, with particular relation to the latest professional battle of the 2012 Enterprise bargaining agreement and the Australian government’s planned policies for Australian nurses and what this means for their future. Nursing began in the homes of families as an intuitive and untaught way of caring for sick family members, with the role being given to women based on their care experience and observation. Throughout the dark and middle ages (500 AD to 1400 AD) this ‘care’ later developed a religious aspect, and nursing became an expression of Christianity and seen as ‘acts of mercy’ (D’antonio 2007). This ‘care’ aspect of practice still exists strongly in modern nursing today. However, the nursing reputation took...
Words: 2032 - Pages: 9
...Though the definition of liberal democracy is also very intangible and has a wide history of interpretation in Australia which has strongly influenced its current form and application(Hirst 2002, pp. 231-232). So how Australia’s liberal democratic system put into practice its underlying ideologies and does it truly enhance the rights and freedoms of its citizens. Definition of Liberal Democracy The wider populations general understanding of the concept of liberal democracy can also change overtime as the interpretation of the idea becomes vaster. Liberalism in its earliest form is now described as classical liberalism and promotes individual freedom with minimal intervention from government. This form of liberalism tends to assume that anyone can become successful if they work for it. (REFERENCE) Democracy is a concept bracing an overarching ideal of having the ability of communal participation of stakeholders regarding the direction of governance. The historical use of the term democracy is perhaps also the way of describing its meaning. Heywood identifies four contrasting models of democracy being; classic democracy; protective democracy; developmental democracy and people's democracy. Classical democracy involves direct participation of all citizens in decision making through mass assemblies and large committee's, we can see this type of democracy used in Australia through referendums and some aspects of Local...
Words: 1508 - Pages: 7
...Endangered Species Our planet earth has produced many wonderful and bewildering things. Our planet was once lush of vegetation, plants and amazing animals. There are numerous plants and animals that are now extinct, either due to natural selection, climate change, or urbanization. Knowing this, we should not take advantage of what earth has to offer, this includes animals that are now endangered species. According to Richard T. Wright, “endangered species is a species that has been reduced to the point where it is in imminent danger of becoming extinct if protection is not provided (page 254). Although some animals may seem unimportant to most, many of these animals are what help keep the earth’s ecosystem in equilibrium. There is much controversy on endangered species and the devastation of their habitats. Before someone establishes their own opinion on the subject matter, it must be understood what an endangered species is and how it came to be, along with the controversy between it. Endangerment is a very broad issue that involves habitat, the surrounding environment and the interaction between other species. There are many factors that have lead to endangerment and possible extinction to earth’s animals. One of the biggest factors is habitat destruction. Habitats are constantly changing due to the earth’s constant change in climate and movement, although that is only a slight change. The biggest component to habitat destruction is the result from human activity...
Words: 1592 - Pages: 7
...Contents Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Importance of Transparency 7 What Regulation Typically Covers 7 Regulatory Agencies 8 Accounting Reform 10 Conclusion 13 References 15 Abstract Within the accounting profession there are many complex ethical issues that must be dealt with quite often. It is important that the people working within the industry provide high quality financial statements and always pay close attention to ethical concerns that may arise. Since ethics is such a major concern in the accounting industry, a rules based system is in place for enforcing ethical concerns. There are many regulating bodies that exist that enforce many highly detailed regulations that people within the industry must follow at all times. Throughout history there have been several major accounting scandals that have been followed by new regulation to ensure that these problems do not come up again. CLERP 9 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are just a couple of acts that have caused significant changes to the accounting world in recent times. This paper will look at some of the different issues that accountants face as well as some of the regulations that seek to end unethical behavior. Ethical Standards in Accounting Introduction The accounting industry is an always changing and constantly growing industry. Accounting plays a vital role in society and business and up until recently accounting was considered to have some of the highest standards for ethical...
Words: 3480 - Pages: 14
...The changing role of women in Australia has come about largely through waves of feminism. The first wave brought women the vote in federal and State elections. The colonies began to grant manhood suffrage halfway through the nineteenth century, however, women were not included in the begining. When Australia reached Federation in 1901, it was agreed that all women should be given the vote at a federal level since women from South Australia and Western Australia already had a State vote. In 1902 all women were given the vote in federal elections except for those who were Indigenous Australians, or of Asian, African or Pacific Islander descent. Despite the enfranchisement, no woman was elected to an Australian parliament until 1921. The first federal female parliamentarians were not elected until 1943. This is just one example of how enfranchisement fell short of truly improving the lives of Australian women or changing attitudes about them. Women were still seen as nurturers who had no other destiny than to marry and raise children. The few women who did work (excluding the wealthy who were involved in voluntary work) not only had to find paid work, but also had to carry the burden of all housework and child-rearing. The notion of what jobs a woman could do expanded during World War I, but women's role in public life was still very limited. Factors which brought about the women's movement Contrary to popular belief, women's groups and activists remained active throughout the...
Words: 2429 - Pages: 10
...It would be difficult to disagree that for one of the smaller representing populations in Australia, Indigenous Australians are at disadvantage in many areas. Areas ranging from employment, housing, justice and education among many more. There have been innumerable efforts at overcoming the disadvantages Aboriginal people have to face. For the purposes of this Essay, literature will be discussed in addressing the social inequality and disadvantage of indigenous people in relation to refining the gap in life expectancy (as a social-economic indicator) and what essential elements need to be considered for the process to work successfully. There are contending ideas in relevant literature as to what is the cause for the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, which also gives dissimilar arguments as to how to address the issue, with one side taking a view of longevity and the other a holistic method. It is argued that Indigenous Australians health inequalities could be narrowed with the improvement of the differences in health service access, provision and use. As the inabilities gain adequate health care due to, distance, cultural and availability barriers, thus leading to indigenous health problems being constant and prolonged (Healey 2002). However Eades of the of the Indigenous health research unit (2000, p.468) argues ‘that a complete tactic to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders involves understanding the close relationships...
Words: 1446 - Pages: 6
...Harvard Referencing Guide HARVARD REFERENCING GUIDE HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE This guide is divided into four sections that represent four different types of publications: 1. Periodicals: Journal and newspaper articles: pp. 2-3 2. Electronic publications: pp. 3-6 3. Books: pp. 6-7 4. Miscellaneous publications and materials: pp. 7-8 Within each section, we have organised the information into three columns: • Column 1 lists the different types of source materials that you will need to reference when you are doing an assignment. • Column 2 shows you how to do ‘in-text referencing’ or ‘in-text citation’ – this is where you refer to your sources of information WITHIN your assignment when you paraphrase, summarise or quote. • Column 3 shows you how to cite each type of reference in the ‘Reference List’ at the END of your assignment. This list of references provides your reader with all the information about each source you have referred to in your assignment, so they can find each source you have referred to if they wish. Here are some useful terms with which you need to be familiar: A paraphrase means saying something in another way without changing its meaning, for example, using your own words to express the ideas of an author. A paraphrase may/may not be shorter than the original. A summary is similar to a paraphrase except it is shorter than the original. Summarising involves ‘compressing’ large amounts of information into a few sentences. So it...
Words: 3648 - Pages: 15
