摘要：Two separate but complementary comments in a 2006 parliamentary library research brief, provide a neat summary of the history and contemporary positions on the issue of federalism:
The Australian federal system, which came into existence in 1901, has generally worked satisfactorily…1
There is a general consensus, therefore, that the Australian federal system does not work as well as it might …2
Any review of the Australian federation should start by reviewing whether federalism remains an appropriate system of governance for the nation, before considering the recent history of the federal arrangements and prospects for future improvements.
