As we wrestle with the challenges of Covid-19 the weaknesses inherent in our federation are being clearly seen. These weaknesses have been present since 'federation' in 1901 but have been amplified by various legislative, legal and administrative actions. Our state and federal politicians are not willing or able to resolve these issues.     A Constitutional Council of esteemed Australians, not involved in daily political life, should be permanently established to develop referendum proposals to overcome the lack of clarity in federal, state and local government responsibilities and other changes needed so that our constitution reflects the requirements of contemporary Australia.

Getting the right balance between local, state and federal responsibilities for revenue and services would make Australia a stronger and more cohesive nation. “Rather than have an all-powerful unitary government, federations offer the advantage of several governments operating closer to their constituents. By rights, accountability is enhanced and sub-national governments can learn from each other.” ...“The empirical evidence from around the world is also strongly supportive of federations. Federated countries consistently have outperformed unitary states in terms of the key economic parameters, such as gross domestic product growth, unemployment and the like.”Judith Sloan – The Australian 20/7/21

“…current rules for holding a referendum are archaic and ill-suited to modern times. Fortunately, parliament has begun work on this through a new inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.”  The Australian 19/7/21 : George Williams - Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Law at the University of New South Wales The sad truth is that our politicians are not trusted enough to be in charge of an issue as important as Constitutional Reform. Our country needs a Constitutional Council outside the political sphere to undertake such important reform now and into the future.

"The closely watched Edelman Trust Barometer’s half-year update reveals a rapid decline in trust in government, business and media...The level of trust in government in Australia (52 per cent) puts it below the average of 14 global counterparts (56 per cent), but still above the US, which sits at 48 points."The Australian 19/7/21

“Freedom House, a non-partisan organisation dedicated to promoting freedom and democracy, reports that freedom across the globe has declined for 15 straight years.""Across a swath of central Europe and central Asia in particular, a total of 18 countries suffered declines in democratic trends last year, while only six in those regions saw improvement.""Democracy is messy, but in an authoritarian system the problem is the lack of messiness. Cults of personality develop, opposing voices with potentially good ideas are squelched, healthy debates and innovative thoughts are blocked.”Gerald F. Seib  The Wall Street Journal (Reprinted The Australian - 14/7/21)

“When Barbara Holland, professor of mathematics at the University of Tasmania, was making the decision to have an AZ jab now rather than wait for Pfizer, she deployed her number-crunching prowess. …   Using UK data, she calculated that “I’d have about a 1/60,000 chance of dying of Covid-19 in the next 90 days; balance that against a 1/900,000 chance of a fatal blood clot, working off a 1/30,000 chance of a clot x 1/30 chance of it being fatal.”   Jane Nicholls The Australian 6/7/21