WHILE people around the world have fought wars and long campaigns to attain the right to govern themselves, the people of the ACT have resented it. They see it as having been foisted on them. Their resentment is probably misplaced.
The central cause of the resentment was probably its timing. It was handed to the ACT in 1989 by the Federal Parliament without an approving referendum. At that time Governments of all complexions around Australia were retreating. They were privatising, down-sizing and out-sourcing.
Before that time Canberra was boom-town. In the early 1950s when Prime Minister Robert Menzies started spending money on the city and moved public servants here to make it the centre of government as the Constitution envisaged. It was planned and grew. By 1989, however, governments were looking at all areas of spending. Canberra was due for severe cutbacks, no matter what. Indeed, the ACT had frequently been the guinea pig for whatever fad of government was flavour of the month. It was inevitably going to bear the down-sizing brunt. And the Federal Government at the time thought it would be a good idea to shift the blame.
Alas, many people in the ACT fell for it. They thought that because the funding cuts began at the time self-government began, that self-government itself was to blame. But with direct rule it would probably have been worse. the ACT would have continued to have been a guinea pig for whatever was going through the minds of members of the Federal Government at the time.
Sure, there have been difficulties with self-government, but they are little different from difficulties in other states and territories. It took a long time for it to arrive and it is here for keeps. The real task is to make ACT governments function better.
Below is a potted history of government in the ACT.The following is a potted history of government in the ACT.1890s: Constitutional conventions and NSW and Victorian politicians argue about whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the capital of the new Australia. Compromise is a separate capital in a federal territory within NSW but greater than 100 miles (160km) from Sydney.1900: Constitution of Australia Act passes the British Parliament. Section 125 says the federal territory shall be greater than 100 square miles and shall be “”vested in the Commonwealth”. Section 120 gives the Commonwealth parliament power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of territories.1911: Seat of Government Act creates the territory. All existing NSW law is brought over as at that date. New law is created by Ordinances approved by the Minister for Territories with the formal stamp of the Governor-General.1930: Advisory Council set up: three department heads; three elected members and civic administrator.1949: Cole report suggests municipal government for Canberra.1949: ACT gets seat in Federal House of Representatives, initially only to have vote on ACT matters. Dr L. Nott elected. Jim Fraser elected in 1951.1958: National Capital Development Commission set up _ anecdotally “”rules” Canberra through leasing and planning requirements.1966: Full voting rights for Federal MP (Jim Fraser).1967: Advisory Council, chaired by Jim Pead (Ind), by now fully elected seeks greater power. Council consists of 3 ALP, 3 Ind, 2 Lib, 1 True Whig, setting a three-decade pattern for Canberrans to vote independent and zany in greater or equal proportion to each of the major parties.1969: All members of Advisory Council resign over three major decisions by Federal Territories Minister Peter Nixon. Nixon accepts resignations a reappoints all to an interim council to serve out the term till 1970.1970: Law Reform Commission set up to tidy up remnant English and NSW statute law still in force. Commission delivers list of laws and recommendations promptly. Federal Government takes 13 years to deal with them.1970: New Advisory Council: 4 Ind, 3 Lab and True Whig Alan Fitzgerald is re-elected as Australian Party candidate.1971: Gorton Government abolishes land rent.1973: ALP Member for Canberra Kep Enderby is appointed Minister for Territories in charge of ACT. Defers Advisory Council election pending changes to give it greater power. Minister and council differ over rates, child care. Enderby taken out of hot-seat Ministry as local unpopularity increases. (He loses seat in 1975 to Liberal John Haslem.)Oct 1973: New Minister Gordon Bryant says ACT to have self- govt within a year.1974: Widespread debate on self-govt, including parliamentary committee. Advisory Council’s term extended without election until self-govt. Second MHR for the ACT.Sept 1974: Advisory Council abolished and replaced by Act Legislative Assembly: 7 Libs; 4 ALP; 2 Australia Party; 5 Inds.1975: Parliamentary committee recommends self-govt. Land becomes the big issue.Two senators for ACT (Susan Ryan ALP and John Knight Liberal).Bryant calls for transfer of municipal functions in a year.1977: Minister Tony Staley (Liberal) proposes self-govt model with wide powers to the Assembly except land.November 27, 1978: referendum on self-govt. 63.5 against; 31.1 for; 5.4 want local government, 1.6 informal.Self-govt goes on the back-burner until Labor re-elected federally in 1983.1984: Task force on self- govt reports. Suggests three five-member electorates and wide Assembly powers.1985: Business group CARD announces support for self-govt.1985: Another Assembly term extended (till mid-1986) pending self-govt.1986: Electoral system becomes key issue. Democrats will block legislation in Senate unless electoral system is proportional.June 1986: Assembly term expires and is not replaced.Two years of federal argument ( mainly over the electoral system) on self-govt.29 November, 1988: Legislation passes Federal Parliament for 17-seat Assembly with wide powers and fixed three-year terms.4 March 1989: First election under modified d’Hondt system with ACT as a single electorate. Result after a protracted count: Labor 5; Liberal 4; Residents Rally 4; No Self-Government 3; Abolish Self- Government 1.11 May, 1989: Legislative Assembly meets, elects Labor’s Rosemary Follett elected Chief Minister as first elected female head of a state or territory government.1989: No-confidence in Follett Government passed. Liberals’ Trevor Kaine becomes Chief Minister heading an Alliance Government with Residents’ Rally and “” No-Self-Government”. Michael Moore leaves the Rally becomes independent on cross-bench.6 June, 1991: Alliance Government collapses after internal wrangles and disagreements over school and hospital closures. Follett returns to government.1992: Feb 15 Second election. Labor 8; Liberal 6; Independents Moore and Szuty; Abolish Self-Government Dennis Stevenson. Hare-Clark electoral system approved by 65 per cent in an advisory referendum. Follett elected Chief Minister heading a Labor government.1992-95: Separate ACT Public Service with separate legislation and Independent ACT Electoral Commission set up. Electorate Act provides for Hare-Clark system with three electorates.18 Feb 1995: Third election. Liberal Party beats Labor by between 5.5 per cent and 12 per cent in the three electorates. Liberal 7, Labor 6, Greens 2, Ind 2. Kate Carnell elected Chief Minister heading minority Liberal Government. Hare-Clark entrenched in referendum with 65 per cent of the vote.21 Feb 1998: Kate Carnell wins second election and heads minority Liberal Government. Liberal 7, Labor 6, Greens 1, Ind 3.28 Apr 1998: Independent Michael Moore joins the Government as Health Minister, retaining his independence on a limited list of matters and otherwise supporting the Government.