Mr ROSS CAMERON(12.58 p.m.) —Today I rise in dissent. I rise as a minority of one in a committee of 14. I am strengthened in my resolve by the belief that, if Henry Parkes were here today, he would dissent with me. If Alfred Deakin were on the transport committee, he would be on my side of the argument.

Informing the constitutional draftsmen was a philosophy of government which resulted in considered decisions about which tier of government would accept which functions. The resultant division of powers became known as the federal compact. Each of the colonies ceded a measure of their sovereignty in order to bring into being one federated Commonwealth. The national government was to be a limited affair, exercising only those enumerated, specific powers mentioned in the constitution. The states retained a general law making power over the remainder. Today that federal compact lies in tatters. The whole rationale of the constitution has been subverted by an unremitting arrogation of power in Canberra. Road funding is merely one example.

Healthy communities devolve power; they share it around. In the words of M.K. Ghandi, `The greatest expression of power is to give it away.' Since Federation, we have done the opposite. The executive government of the Commonwealth, supported by a pliant and centrist High Court, has reduced the states to so many supplicants, begging for Commonwealth alms. We have deprived them not only of a fair share of the revenues but, more darkly, of the power to raise their own.

The Senate is turning out to be one of the great mistakes of the constitution. Certainly it has failed in its intended role as a guardian of states' rights. The Senate has become a chamber not of the states but of the parties, and its membership the lackeys of each party's executive.

The imbalance of powers is reflected in, and sustained by, an imbalance of funds. Australia now practises the highest level of vertical fiscal imbalance of any federation in the world.

Mr Hockey —Hear, hear!

Mr ROSS CAMERON —As a result, cost-shifting bureaucratic duplication and cynicism have been woven into the very fabric of our public life. At a time of remorseless global competition, this is an indulgence Australia simply cannot afford.

It lies within our power to reform, and I say, `Let reform begin with road funding.' The Commonwealth has no business in roads. The state road authorities, local government and the private sector are the experts. Let them have their head. We should simply hand over the money and let them do their jobs. Better yet, we should hand back the power to the states to raise their own revenues, because only then will they be in a position to discharge their duty to the peace, welfare and good government of the citizens.

I note the Minister for Transport and Regional Development (Mr Vaile) is present in the chamber. I thank him for his indulgence and willingness to hear a dissenting voice, which has been consistent throughout the committee's deliberations. I thank the chair likewise for his indulgence of my idiosyncrasies. Better minds than mine are in the majority report: the deputy chairman; Ralph Willis, who is in the chamber; and others such as the opposition spokesman on transport are all in the majority. I am the dissident, the idiosyncratic one. But, nonetheless, I have support in the chamber. I note the member for North Sydney (Mr Hockey) was giving healthy `Hear, hears'. I hope that this first voice of dissent will mark the beginning of the turnaround to restore the federation to see it achieve the status imagined by the fathers of the constitution. This is a great country, but this is an important problem. We must tackle it and let us begin today.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Nehl) —Does the member for Hinkler wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?