Rudd got into power promising to end the 'blame game' between the states and the federal governments. How far should he go and what should he change?

I think it qwould be a good start to give the GST directly back to the states it came from, rather than making state governments squabble over the carve up every year. Either that, or take responsbility away from the states for some services. Having one branch of government collect taxes then share it out to other branches of government to spend is a recipe for never ending blame shifting. Only by getting that issue resolved once and for all can COAG move onto more cooperative issues. Real cooperation will always take a back seat when people have to fight each other over and over again for a share of limited funds.

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Qld to do audit of state-fed relations

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Qld-to-do-audit-of-statefed-relations/2007/09/04/1188783207706.html

The Queensland government will audit its agreements with the federal government, leading up to a constitutional convention in 2009.

Premier Peter Beattie announced the move in state parliament.

He said the audit would examine cross-border arrangements and identify inefficiencies.

A public awareness campaign would inform a debate on federalism, and a discussion paper would be commissioned.