(Re)Constructing power in the Australian Federation: Advancing multi-level governance as an explanation for the emergence of independent regulators

Abstract

This thesis examines the multijurisdictional National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to understand the contemporary governance of Australia as a federation. Through the application of enhanced governance models and creation of a diagnostic tool Australian Pragmatic Federalism Theory is advanced to describe, explain and potentially predict intergovernmental structures and processes in the Australian Federation. Using Actor-network Theory to reveal the (re)deployment of power amongst actors and incorporating Multi-level Governance theory into extant models revealed that while centralisation is occurring, it is not unidirectional toward the Commonwealth. Politicians and officials are willing to establish new permanent power-sharing arrangements that pool and share power.