New states needed to 'bring Government closer' to people, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says

Updated

There needs to be serious discussion about creating new states "to bring government closer to the people", one of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's backbenchers has said.

Rockhampton, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth, Launceston and Ballarat all have the "potential" to become capital cities, according to LNP senator Matt Canavan, though he is "not about to start drawing lines on a map".

"It's a bit strange we've had more than 100 years since Federation and we still have the same number of states," Senator Canavan said.

"Ultimately good fences make for good neighbours, and perhaps we need a few more fences in Australia."

Senator Canavan said he planned to put a submission into the Federation White Paper, renewing his push for a new state "to better represent" Queensland's north.

"We're about the same age as a nation as the USA was in the 1860s, and back then the US had about 30 states," he said.

"It's about time we think seriously about it. If we don't have the courage to talk about that, we're not going to progress as a country."

The idea of creating new states is as old as the nation itself.

But various proposals have been defeated or killed off partly because of the extra cost of new state governments to taxpayers.

Most suggestions for new states have stemmed from politicians in country areas, who dream of ridding their home towns of the influence of major capital cities like Brisbane and Sydney.

Senator Canavan, who sits in the Nationals party room, said his constituents around Rockhampton were sick of "continually being overruled and over-governed by governments in capital cities who have had the benefits of development".

Nationals deputy Barnaby Joyce last year threw his support behind the failed New England state movement in northern New South Wales.

It was the subject of two royal commissions and was narrowly defeated at a 1967 referendum.

Clive Palmer and Bob Katter have also recently called for Australia's state boundaries to be redrawn.

But new states seem highly unlikely to get the support of the Abbott Government or indeed any of the existing state governments.

Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, australia, rockhampton-4700, ballarat-3350

First posted