If it were given no other alternative, do you think an Australian state could support itself as a country if it were forced to do so?

For example, do you think Victoria could separate from the other states of Australia and become 'New Victoria.' Would it have the resources and expertise to do so?

Try to approach this subject with an open mind.

Personally, I think it's possible, but there's no need... at this stage.  :P

If they could defend themselves against the Australian army, sure. I think the Canadians are trying something similar. They could probably even do it democratically, without bloodshed. All it would take is the will.

Yeah, the muslims will try it one day.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/No-states-if-we-did-it-all-again-PM/2007/05/18/1178995371503.html

If Australia was started all over again and a fresh constitution was drafted, there would be no states, Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday.

Mr Howard, who has to deal with Labor leaders in every state and territory, said he wasn't about to launch a campaign for this to happen.

"If we started the country again, that's what people would want," he told ABC radio in Townsville.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Call-for-revival-of-NT-statehood-push/2007/05/28/1180205151059.html

A parliamentary committee has called on the federal government to revive the Northern Territory statehood movement.

The legal and constitutional affairs committee believes major federal issues must be resolved before territorians will back statehood.

And a territorian on the committee, David Tollner, said statehood was a dead duck until it was supported by Aborigines.

In a 1998 referendum 51.3 per cent of territorians voted against statehood.

Mr Slipper said any future referendum would also be defeated if only a vague model for statehood was presented.

The issues included Aboriginal land rights, the level of representation in the federal parliament, industrial and financial relations, and mining and resource issues, including national parks and marine protected areas.

Interesting discussion.

I remember when crossing the border from NSW to VIC it was 'almost' like going to another 'country' [nation]: It was very different. It had trams and conductors, VFL and more that could not be found in another State.
It was its own 'self' in style and personality.

But then Australia seemed to 'fold back' upon itself or 'fail'.
People like Pauline Hanson took the country backwards into the past, rather than the future.
Australia was already 'One Nation' - but its States were developing their own characteristics, culture, personality, style, etc.
Alas, since 2000 - it all got 'generalised', it went 'backwards' like as if it was the USA (where independent States 'united' to become 'One Nation').

I honestly think this 'failure' currently will also 'fail' completely.
Those in Politics who fold back into the past will lose any empowerment... and we will find that the 'future' of Political Australia will indeed be for something better than just States becoming INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES.

I see provincials like Eden-Monaro, Capricornia, Wimmera, Riverina, St Vincent, New England, Orara, Pitjantjatjara, Centralia, Gippsland, Kimberly, Pilbara, Sterling, Cape York (*BigOl64  ;)) and more... becoming their own INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES.

This would turn this currently BORING continent into a vibrant 'self-sufficient' MULTI-CULTURAL region without the need for FORIEGN multi-culturalism.

Bye bye boring Australia and boring Pauline hansonites who are justified by the Media.
Hello a new versatile Australian continent of much 'self-sufficient' variety  ;)  8-)

WA could and should.

miketrees wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 2:03pm:

WA could and should.

Yes.

WA has been threatening to secede for decades.

There was a referendum on it back in the 1930s, and the majority voted for us to withdraw from the Federation.

Here we go, 1933: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secessionism_in_Western_Australia

It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help.

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 2:26pm:

It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help.

If we did it back in 1933, we'd be rolling in cash right now.

greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 3:03pm:

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 2:26pm: It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help. If we did it back in 1933, we'd be rolling in cash right now.

Your state is never far off running out of water. All the cash in the world won't buy you rainfall. If WA seceded I'm sure it would receive less assistance. All the other things it gets from the eastern states which isn't iron ore and wheat.

Yeah well i doubt the people that live there have anything to say about it. Its money for somebody is why it comes up.

Spot

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 3:07pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:03pm: Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 2:26pm: It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help. If we did it back in 1933, we'd be rolling in cash right now. Your state is never far off running out of water. All the cash in the world won't buy you rainfall. If WA seceded I'm sure it would receive less assistance. All the other things it gets from the eastern states which isn't iron ore and wheat.

If we seceded back in 1933, we'd have the Kimberley Pipeline in place now.

We'd have so much water, we'd be bathing in it!

greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 3:14pm:

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:07pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:03pm: Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 2:26pm: It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help. If we did it back in 1933, we'd be rolling in cash right now. Your state is never far off running out of water. All the cash in the world won't buy you rainfall. If WA seceded I'm sure it would receive less assistance. All the other things it gets from the eastern states which isn't iron ore and wheat. If we seceded back in 1933, we'd have the Kimberley Pipeline in place now. We'd have so much water, we'd be bathing in it!

I thought you'd be against running a pipeline through aboriginal lands?

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 3:17pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:14pm: Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:07pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 3:03pm: Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14th, 2018 at 2:26pm: It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help. If we did it back in 1933, we'd be rolling in cash right now. Your state is never far off running out of water. All the cash in the world won't buy you rainfall. If WA seceded I'm sure it would receive less assistance. All the other things it gets from the eastern states which isn't iron ore and wheat. If we seceded back in 1933, we'd have the Kimberley Pipeline in place now. We'd have so much water, we'd be bathing in it! I thought you'd be against running a pipeline through aboriginal lands?

Nope.

The Kimberley Pipeline concept came from an aboriginal man.

https://alchetron.com/cdn/ernie-bridge-e47a02d5-6688-4444-9f34-358a5edfb26-resize-750.jpeg

Ask Gina for some billions and get it done now. Having a family dynasty controlling a major slice of your states number 1 resource it what's holding you back Pecca.

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 3:37pm:

Ask Gina for some billions and get it done now. Having a family dynasty controlling a major slice of your states number 1 resource it what's holding you back Pecca.

She wants to do it.

Only to her cattle station, though.

We are heading into a Lithium boom, still time for us to escape.

Even tho there is some kind of repair done on the GST, the feds will find another way to dud WA.

The way we're going the United Nations will have the final say on what happens within Australia

The Libs and Labs have two agendas, one to obey the UN and Brussels, the other is to pretend we still have national sovereignty

Obviously there are Provincials (regionals) who have more of something than others and less of something than others.
The Riverina has a lot of food production over other areas - that would be its main income, for example.
Trade between all the Provincials would create a jobs boom like nothing the Federal level of Politics has been able to provide.
Of course, the International community would hate to see Australia 'self sufficient' and have a booming self-sufficient population growth to go with it.

How nice would it be to live in a Provincial area where the majority of your Provincial earnings go back into your area and not siphoned out to the Federal level and sent overseas to fund Indonesia and other 'draining' nations.

Hang the Parliament, next Election.
Vote for more Independents (reflection of Provincials becoming independent).
Dis-empower the position of PM which serves the interests of the USA anyway.
Dis-empower the position of G-G which serves the interests of the UK anyway.
Both positions of PM & G-G are 'self-destructing' anyway...

...who knows, maybe the whole 'show' at Federal level is self-destructing anyway and it won't be a matter of choice for Provincials to go independent - more a matter of survival.  :-?

miketrees wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 4:05pm:

We are heading into a Lithium boom, still time for us to escape. Even tho there is some kind of repair done on the GST, the feds will find another way to dud WA.

Historically it has taken more than it generates.  I posted about it once when arguing with Hot Breath, and couldn't be arsed doing the research again. Sure someone can find it.

Add to that the expenditure of full nationhood status including care and custody of all the aboriginals ...

A State could easily become a country if the will existed.

Regarding John Howard's comments, I don't believe that no States is what people would want. I certainly don't my State abolished; I have pride in my State and its history.

There are clear advantages to Federalism. The question is about who should have what powers and over what? I think the Commonwealth has overreached in some areas, whereas in others its expansion has been justified due to changing circumstances.

I don't think the NT should become a State in spite of what people want. There's a reason why territories exist - so that the Federal/centralized government has absolute control over a specific part of the country, which can be quite useful in certain cases. In our case, the NT is uniquely located and having the Federal Government control it is extremely useful. I don't even belief the NT should have its own government - it should be directly administered by the Commonwealth as should ACT.

Clover Moore kick started her little inner-city 'independent'. All her people loved it, the surrounding ALP/LNP areas hated it.

Lake Macquarie also ran its own show for a while and didn't have to bow down to water restrictions like the rest of the state.

Vatican City, Leichtenstein, Andorra, Monaco - all viable 'small' independents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Hutt_River

Historically it has taken more than it generates.  I posted about it once when arguing with Hot Breath, and couldn't be arsed doing the research again. Sure someone can find it.

Yeah,,, nah those arguments never factored in the industry protection tariffs for the inefficient industries on the east and south coast

Ahh yes - I forgot about the Principality of Jabba the HUTT.
Quite a little success story.

All it takes is just one Provincial area to go fully Independent of a State and the domino effect kicks in.

Riverina almost did a long time ago via the Water Barons.

I'm pretty sure though, that the Continent of Australia will fracture into many independent Provincial Nations and be ruled by something akin to what the EU is.

With Chinese money and support, WA could become a sovereign nation. 

Mr Hammer wrote on Nov 14^th, 2018 at 2:26pm:

It's funny WA would want to secede because it's probably the most vulnerable state in the country. It's mostly desert. A really bad drought and it will be asking for help.

What's wrong with asking for help?

That's what foreign aid is for, Homo.