we have state and federal govts. we are , per capita the most governed country on the planet , they are all on 6 figure salaries with perks and the local shire/council CEO'S can earn 300 k a year on a salary basis .......it's a ****ing joke mate.
Oh, I agree Australia is over-governed. That is, however, a legacy of how the country was originally formed and the division of powers between state and federal. In theory, state and federal governments should not have overlapping powers, however the lines have, over the decades, become somewhat blurred. You're still stuck with a system, however, that recognises and treats the States as defined entities in their own right, and this is entrenched in a written constitution. In that respect, the Australian states are not dissimilar to the 4 countries that make up the UK.
Having said that, I'm not sure the situation over here is any better. In Australia, there are 3 tiers:
Federal - with defined responsibility areas, and 2 houses both elected with a total of 227 MPs across the two houses.
State - with defined responsibility areas that are different from the Federal level. (NSW has 177 MPs across two houses)
Local - just a single tier.
For me here in England, I've got 4 tiers:
UK Government (which also acts as England government) - total of 650 MPs elected
East Sussex County Council
Wealden District Council
Uckfield Town Council
And I'm pretty sure I'm one of the lucky ones having only 4 tiers.
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