Where's Canberra?

Federalism and the practice of inter-governmental relations have been central elements of Australian public administration since Canberra assumed the exclusive power to levy income taxes at the height of World War II. While federalism is an ubiquitous feature of contemporary Australian governance, debates concerning its reform have failed to capture the imagination of ordinary voters - slanging matches among state premiers or between state and federal governments are easily dismissed as another form of parochialism akin to regional preferences for AFL or Rugby League.