Local government is best says local government (I fall about laughing)

In my entire lifetime I don't think I have ever met my Federal MP while he or she actually held office and I may only have had a two minute face-to-face conversation in passing with one or two of the State MPs elected to represent me over that time.
The nature of both types of representative remain somewhat of a mystery, although a few of their falls from grace do eventually become public knowledge over time.

However.............
It would be hard not to know a whole lot about those local government councillors who've supposedly collectively acted on my behalf since I first saw the light of day.
With some shining exceptions, they would have to be the most one-eyed, short-sighted, venial and often downright corrupt mob that ever graced government.
And the council management structure which develops under them would be just as bad on average.

So I almost fell off my perch laughing when ABC News Radio announced that:

"Councils across New South Wales have backed a push by Lake Macquarie Council to abolish the State Government.

The councils' motion, calling for a two-tier government system, was yesterday passed unchallenged at the Local Government Association Conference in Broken Hill.
But Lake Macquarie Deputy Mayor Barry Johnston says a two-tier system of government makes more sense.
"It costs the Australian people over $2 billion per year to have the three levels of government, and there is a lot of duplication between State and Federal Government," he said."

I'm sorry Barry, old china, it was hard not to guffaw at this. Given the opportunity, councils would waste more than $2 billion annually in duplication with one hand tied behind the back and then waste some more in parochial fighting over the central pot.
I would happily support Australia-wide local government directly receiving a fixed percentage of the GST or other taxes, but heaven forfend that any NSW North Coast council is my only bulwark against the centralised power of Canberra.