Editing Robert Askin (section)

===Federal relations===
[[File:Gorton_and_Askin_1971_(1).jpg|thumb|left|Askin with Prime Minister [[John Gorton]] at the Premier's Conference on 4 February 1971. The two were never close.]]
As Treasurer, Askin focused on the state budget and on [[Commonwealth-State financial relations]]. His attitude towards the Commonwealth and the Federal Government was shaped by his first premiers' conference in 1965 when Prime Minister Menzies negotiated with the Victorian premier [[Henry Bolte]] to achieve an extra grant of funds for Victoria at the expense of the other states and closed the conference before the other Premiers could object. At subsequent premiers' conferences he opposed the 'centralising' tendencies of Canberra and became a strong advocate of the rights of the states.{{sfnp|Hancock|2006|page=354}}

With [[John Gorton]] becoming prime minister after Holt's death, Askin came into conflict with the Commonwealth Government over Gorton's determination to maintain federal command over taxation and in June 1968 declared that he could veto any form of state taxation. In late 1969, Askin, with Bolte, organised an 'emergency' premiers' conference, without Gorton, to publicise the disadvantages of the States, a move that was partly responsible for the party deposition of Gorton in 1971.<ref name=ADB/>

Askin had a greater dislike for Gorton's successor, [[William McMahon]] and received financial support from McMahon only when Askin threatened to release a NSW "horror budget" that could damage Federal Liberal voting intentions. However, when McMahon lost the 1972 election to Labor Leader [[Gough Whitlam]], relations between Sydney and Canberra got even worse. Whitlam's centralising economic policies and decision to end legal appeals to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] drew criticism from Askin.