Sep 1, 2026 · 9 min · 7 segments
State governments are one of the three tiers of government in Australia, but what do they do? There are 8 state and territory governments and parliaments in Australia and they all are responsible for…
So the list of state responsibilities is actually incredibly long for a reason that I'll explain in a moment.
But first, because the internet loves a list, here are a few examples in a list.
public hospitals, emergency services such as police, ambulances and firefighters, jails, major roads, some taxation, conservation and environment, public works, agriculture, fishing, industrial relations, community services, sport and recreation, consumer affairs, utilities like electricity and water supply, shop and workplace laws, traffic laws, waste disposal and pollution controls, housing laws like public housing supply and rental laws, State banks, which, side note, used to exist but have since been privatized or sold, but technically that is the thing the state can bring back if it wants.
Firearms, forestry, domestic and family violence services, and way way more things.
It's actually really hard to summarize everything states can do or look after for two main reasons.
Almost everything that isn't a federal responsibility is a state responsibility.
Most federal powers are also things the states can make laws on.
So It's a lot.
Let's take a walk down constitutional lane to explain.
That did not rhyme intentionally, but we're going with it.
So the list of state responsibilities is actually incredibly long for a reason that I'll explain in a moment.
But first, because the internet loves a list, here are a few examples in a list.
public hospitals, emergency services such as police, ambulances and firefighters, jails, major roads, some taxation, conservation and environment, public works, agriculture, fishing, industrial relations, community services, sport and recreation, consumer affairs, utilities like electricity and water supply, shop and workplace laws, traffic laws, waste disposal and pollution controls, housing laws like public housing supply and rental laws, State banks, which, side note, used to exist but have since been privatized or sold, but technically that is the thing the state can bring back if it wants.
Firearms, forestry, domestic and family violence services, and way way more things.
It's actually really hard to summarize everything states can do or look after for two main reasons.
Almost everything that isn't a federal responsibility is a state responsibility.
Most federal powers are also things the states can make laws on.
So It's a lot.
Let's take a walk down constitutional lane to explain.
That did not rhyme intentionally, but we're going with it.
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