Speech: Reforming the Federation: A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

The recent Budget speech by the Treasurer and the Budget Reply by Kevin Rudd illustrated the contrast in approach to Federal/State relations which is at the heart of the philosophical and policy division in this area in the lead-up to the 2007 election. The Treasurer made only one reference to the states and territories in his Budget speech – that was to blame the states for the inadequacy of current dental services to the poor and disadvantaged, not withstanding that his own government had cut $100 million from the programs which states run. By contrast, Kevin Rudd’s two principal initiatives of his Budget Reply were predicated on a cooperative, Federal/State approach.