Although most texts on Australian constitutional law concentrate on Commonwealth power, this book reverses the focus to examine the constitutional systems of the six States and the ten Commonwealth territories. In doing so, an attempt has been made to highlight those aspects of their systems which are often neglected in other texts. It builds on the pioneering work of the late Professor Darrell Lumb, The Constitutions of the Australian States, which ran to five editions spanning the years 1963 to 1991, and the recent State-specific publications of the late Justice Bradley Selway, The Constitution of South Australia (Federation Press, 1997), and of Anne Twomey, The Constitution of New South Wales (Federation Press, 2004). I hope this book has gathered a few more fragments to provide a deeper appreciation of the federal nature of Australia's constitutional system – its origins, evolution and possible trajectory. The peace and prosperity of our great nation is based upon that system – our most underrated national treasure.

Given the constraints on commercial publishing today, I am deeply grateful to Cambridge University Press, in particular Jill Henry, for agreeing to publish this work, and Averil Lewis for editing the manuscript.