General

5.1. There is established with this Constitution a National Government and 96 Regions.

 You will notice there are no State Governments. State Governments were OK in 1901 when the Constitution was introduced - when there was a small colony grouped around the centre with perhaps a few outlying elements. In the 21^st Century they are most inappropriate. Not only are they far removed from a substantial proportion of the population spread over vast areas, they are seen as remote and unresponsive. The creation of 96 Regions will give a real boost to decentralisation, it will restore a sense of identity and it will bring government and the bureaucracy closer to the people.

 There are also advantages of this system when compared to a unitary system of government in that, not only does it provide one set of laws and regulations across the whole nation where this is appropriate, it allows many aspects of governance at the local level to be tailored to variations in needs instead of the “one size fits all” syndrome. Secondly, the system allows for the delivery of public services by organisations “close to the People”. And thirdly, the system allows a clear and appropriate allocation of responsibilities between levels of government. This produces economies of scale, reduces inefficiencies due to overlap and duplication, and prevents “buck-passing” and obfuscation.

National

 5.2. At the National level the structure of government shall include:

a.    a unicameral Parliament,

b.    a President and Vice President,

c.    an Executive headed by a popularly elected President and consisting of the Chief Executive Officers of Public Service Departments (including Chiefs of Navy, Army and Air Force), and

d.    the Judicature. 

 Unicameral means one chamber; that is, no Senate. The review process is accomplished by Regional Assemblies.

5.3. There shall be a clear separation of powers between the Parliament, the Executive and the Judicature.

This is a basic principle of good governance that has been corrupted in the Westminster system where most of the Executive (the Prime Minister and his Ministers) are embedded in the Parliament. This creates an adversarial situation between “Government” and “Opposition” and one in which certain members of the parliament (the Ministers) dominate debate by virtue of perceived superior knowledge. A better system stems from granting all representatives an equal say.

The Regions

5.4. At the Regional level the structure shall include:

a.    a unicameral Assembly,

b.    an Executive consisting of a popularly elected Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Officers of Regional Public Service Departments, and

c.    elements of the National Judicature.

5.6. There shall be a clear separation of powers between the Assembly, the Executive and the Judicature.

5.7. The delivery of public services shall be seamless across the nation. Any Citizen of one Region shall have access to public services in any other Region without detriment.

5.8. Regions delivering public services to a Citizen of another Region shall be entitled to recoup expenditure so incurred from the Region of that Citizen.

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