澳大利亚联邦制面临权力失衡挑战

澳大利亚联邦制度正承受结构性压力。1该制度基于"竞争性联邦主义"框架，各州制定政策以相互竞争，但纵向财政失衡问题日益凸显。1州政府仅筹集自身所需收入的约一半，其余部分依赖联邦政府补助，这种依赖关系削弱了各州的政策自主权。1

公众对联邦财政分配公平性存在显著分歧。一项针对3000多名澳大利亚人的研究显示，40%的受调查者认为所在州未获得公平的联邦支出，其中塔斯马尼亚、南澳大利亚、西澳大利亚和北领地的居民感到财政"不公平"的程度最高。1然而在具体政策上，民众意见相对一致——55%的澳大利亚人支持现有商品及服务税(GST)安排，仅有29%同意西澳大利亚州获得的GST超过应得份额。1西澳因2018年达成的特殊协议而获得远超所需的GST分配。1

Australia's federal structure is under pressure as states struggle with limited fiscal autonomy within a competitive federalism framework 1. The core challenge stems from vertical fiscal imbalance: state governments collect only about half the revenue they need to fund public services, forcing them to rely heavily on federal grants 1. This dependency has progressively weakened state policy independence, particularly on issues ranging from goods and services tax distribution to disability insurance reform and firearm buyback programs 1.

Public sentiment reflects growing concerns about equity in federal funding. Research surveying over 3,000 Australians found that 40 percent believe their state receives an unfair share of federal spending 1. However, support for the current GST arrangement remains substantial, with 55 percent of Australians backing the existing system 1. Notably, only 29 percent agree that Western Australia receives more than its fair share of GST revenue 1. Residents of Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory report the strongest sense of fiscal unfairness 1. Western Australia's position exemplifies the tensions within the system: a 2018 special agreement granted the state GST allocations significantly exceeding its actual needs, according to the Productivity Commission 1.