Would a WAxit really happen? WA Liberals to debate secession motion at state conference
A group of West Australian Liberals has put
secessionism back on the agenda, with a renewed push for the state to
consider becoming an independent nation.
This week's WA Liberal conference will examine setting up a committee to consider secession, amid anger over the state's low GST share.
But
experts say the cost of setting up armed forces from scratch and
funding a public health system in its entirety — as well as the
practical aspects of leaving Australia — make it unrealistic.
So if WA actually wanted to secede, how would it go?
What is actually being proposed?
The Liberal Party's Brand Division wants a 'WAxit' committee set up to seriously look at secession.
It
would examine the option of "Western Australia becoming an independent
state within the Commonwealth" and would report back by mid next year.
The Liberal state conference will consider the motion this weekend.
But
even any recommendations in favour of secession would not necessarily
have much impact, as motions passed at state conferences are not binding
on Liberal parliamentarians.
Hasn't this come up before?
Yes
— in fact secessionism has been a regular debate ever since WA somewhat
reluctantly signed up to the federation more than a century ago.
In 1933, two-thirds of West Australians actually voted to secede, with Perth one of the strongest centres of support.
A
delegation was sent to London to convince the United Kingdom's House of
Commons to let WA go it alone, but it refused to consider the matter.
Secession movements have come and gone ever since, but none have been as prominent.
Why are people angry?
A feeling that WA gets a raw deal from the Commonwealth is the biggest driver, with advocates pointing to the state's low GST share as a key reason for this push.
There is support in high places too, with WA Liberal president Norman Moore among those who have said the state should secede without significant reform in its favour.
"There
is an element who feel the state does get a raw deal from decision
makers in the east," political analyst Peter Kennedy said.
"I think the majority go along with the federation, but from time to time a noisy minority do make their voice heard."
Can states secede from Australia?
The
Australian Constitution describes the federation as "one indissoluble
Federal Commonwealth", strongly suggesting states cannot secede.
That is one reason constitutional experts have long dismissed the prospect of secession as unrealistic.
Photo:
Members of the pro-secession Dominion League meet in Western Australia during the 1933 referendum campaign. (Supplied: State Library of WA/Wikimedia Commons)
"There isn't an obvious way in which a state can legally secede from
the whole of Australia," Melbourne University constitutional law expert
Cheryl Saunders said two years ago.
Most likely, a serious
secession attempt would need to start with a vote in favour in WA — but
exactly what would need to happen beyond that is unclear.
What other difficulties are there?
If
Western Australia became its own country, like any other nation it
would need to fund its own military, print currency and give its
citizens passports.
An independent WA would also need to fund its
health and education systems on its own, set up embassies across the
world, pass laws for countless issues currently covered by Federal
Parliament and establish intelligence agencies.
Because of those issues, the prospect of secession is seen as unrealistic for financial reasons as much as anything else.
"I doubt whether it is economically viable for WA to secede, above anything else," Mr Kennedy said.
"Even with our stronger financial position with resources, I don't think we'd have the financial resources to do it."
WA
would also be left to compete on its own in international sport,
potentially pitting it against Australia in events such as international
cricket and football World Cup qualification.
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WA Liberal Party votes for watered-down secession motion
Updated 3 Sep 2017
WA Liberal Party members have passed a WAxit motion for a committee to examine if the state could become financially independent.
The motion was put forward at the party's state conference by Rick Palmer from the brand division who argued WA was getting dudded by Canberra.
"It wasn't a brainstorm one morning, this came out of the fact that a group of us had been talking to people expressing an anger at the way the federation's treating Western Australia," he said.
"It doesn't just go to the GST. We send a significant amount of revenue in the form of income tax ... capital gains tax, superannuation contributions' tax all goes to Canberra.
"Our premiers and our treasurers go over there like Oliver Twist and come back with an empty begging bowl.
"It's not reasonable and something has to change."
The motion called for the state council to establish a committee with three former members of Parliament and three members of council to "examine the option of Western Australia becoming a financially independent state".
The motion did not initially contain the word "financially" but an amendment was passed to make it "financially independent".
WA Liberal leader Mike Nahan voted against the motion.
"There is absolutely no doubt that federation that has evolved over the last many decades is doing well by Western Australia, indeed the nation," Dr Nahan said.
"I can't argue with all those points about the unfair allocation of money withdrawn from the state.
"But ... we're like a family, someone told me many people who are large families will wish they had single-child family, but that's not possible.
"We are a family, it's a great family, we need to work within the family."
The motion was passed 89 votes to 73.
The committee's response will need to be referred to the State Council by July next year.
Opponents worried about 'lunatic fringe' label
The main arguments in the "yes" camp centred around the level of discontent members were hearing from the community.
"They are furious, they're ropeable, these are the members in our branches that we have to convince to re-join because they're so angry with the lack of action," one member said.
But the "no" voters were worried that the party could be labelled as the "lunatic fringe".
WA Liberal Party state president Norman Moore supported the motion and said it would send a very clear message to Canberra.
"I think it tells them that Western Australians ... are not happy with the way in which Western Australia is being treated," Mr Moore said.
"Now the GST is symptomatic of that, but it is more than that.
"Because we are long way from Canberra we feel that we are being ignored and that our interests aren't being taken into consideration by both sides of politics."
Dr Nahan fought to have the reference "WAxit" removed from the title of the motion but Mr Moore would not budge.
His first speech to the Liberal Party faithful earlier in the day was somewhat overshadowed by the motion.
Dr Nahan used his speech to acknowledge the "mistakes" the party had made that led them to an overwhelming loss in the March election and outlined his plan to woo back voters.
"[WA voters] turned from us to the Labor Party in large numbers," Dr Nahan said.
"Our job is to bring them back. The party of Mike's mates."
First posted 3 Sep 2017
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过去十年每一个西澳人居然给堪培拉送了那么多钱！
2017-09-14 http://www.sohu.com/a/191893498_816122
西澳纳税人在过去十年间向联邦政府输送了1710亿澳元，相当于其他州和领地对西澳的贡献坐享其成。
按人均计算，每一位西澳人都贡献了$71,299澳元来支持整个国家的运转。而北领地相当于每个人都领取了$166,000的补助。只有新州自2005年起开始对联邦政府有财政贡献，但其贡献与西澳比起来，就相形见绌了。
财政部在上一周的预算中透露，西澳对联邦的经贡献是217亿元，相当于每人8516澳元；新州的贡献约为每人599澳元；维州的贡献约为每人216澳元。
南澳是联邦中最大的伸手党，从联邦政府那里拿了比贡献更多的93亿澳元。但是若从人均获得基数上看，北领地是遥遥领先的，平均每人伸手要到了18,972澳元的补助。
在过去十年，西澳向中央政府上交了1710亿澳元，远远大于他所分配到的资金。南澳获得了710亿澳元的分配；北领地获得了人均166,000澳元，总数380亿澳元的配额。
财政部长Ben Wyatt说，西澳的贡献应该是联邦政府在资金分配时考虑的一个重要因素。堪培拉应该考虑将更多的资金分配给西澳，比如在西澳提出修建Metronet线路时。西澳在补贴别的州的同时，也有自己的财政困难。
如今，许多的西澳家庭正在面临财政上的困难。而这组数据的发布，会让大家深深的感到震惊。因此西澳人的沮丧，是合情合理的。
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西澳自由黨大會將成立委員會，研究西澳脫離聯邦成為獨立州的選項。
https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/cantonese/zh-hant/article/2017/08/31/zi-you-dang-du-pai-tai-tou-zai-chang-xi-ao-du-li?language=zh-hant
西澳有自由黨員不滿消費稅稅收分配「過低」，將成立委員會研究西澳脫離聯邦成為獨立州的選項。
費法斯傳媒報導，本週末舉行的西澳自由黨州大會上，將有自由黨人動議西澳脫離聯邦獨立，預料動議可獲西澳自由黨高層支持，並將組成委員會研究選項。
如果動議獲通過，委員會將由三名自由黨前議員、三名州理事會現任委員和一名行政人員組成，在明年 7 月前作出建議，但建議對自由黨在西澳的州議員無約束力。
獨派：獨立對西澳有利
有自由黨員不滿西澳只能分配到 34% 消費稅稅收。
西澳自加入聯邦起，一直認為自己受到人口眾多的州份歧視，近年有派別認為西澳洲礦業暢旺期貢獻澳洲經濟太多，失大於得，脫離聯邦對西澳有利。
投票獨立遭駁回
西澳在 1933 年投票，過半數西澳選民贊成脫離澳洲聯邦，但澳洲聯邦政府成功游說英國國會駁回投票結果。
澳洲憲法並無條款允許任何一州及領地脫離聯邦。憲法專家指，西澳脫離澳洲聯邦唯一可行方法，是通過澳洲全民公投。
西澳獨派的自治主張，並不一定讓西澳成立完全獨立的國家，但期望西澳擺脫澳洲聯邦政府的管治，在稅收和行政上完全獨立。
