Bulletin n. 1/2012
June 2012
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Cheryl Saunders
    Le fédéralisme australien et l’autonomie locale
    in Pouvoirs , n. 141 ,  2012 ,  39-50
    This article outlines the form and constitutional structure of the Australian federation and explains its operation in practice. It argues that, while on the face of the Constitution the federation is devolutionary in terms of both institutions and the distribution of powers, it has become progressively centralized over time, through Commonwealth action, judicial interpretation and intergovernmental co-operation. Federalism nevertheless was and is a defining feature of Australian constitutionalism that, even now, operates as a significant check and balance in the Australian constitutional system. The article concludes by identifying some pending developments, each of which has the capacity to affect the future direction that Australian federalism takes.
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