Crispin Hull

ONCE again the desires of the fledgling self-governing ACT have come in conflict with national concerns. This time it is the proposal to build houses on the vacant land between the edge of Duffy and Holder and the Cotter Road. The proposal, if it goes ahead, will jeopardise the functioning of Mount Stromlo astronomical observatory because of extra night lights.

Before this is portrayed as a winner-take-all conflict of the dimensions of the Tasmanian-dams cases, some ought to be made clear. The ACT is not absolutely committed to the project. The position of Mount Stromlo as an optical observatory in the middle of a city has been precarious for perhaps 20 years. It’s relocation is inevitable; it is not a question of if but when.
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THE Leader of the Opposition, Kate Carnell, has tapped in to an obvious sense of community dissatisfaction with government in the ACT. She has floated the idea of doing away with the Westminster structure of the ACT Legislative Assembly and replacing it with a collegiate or committee system. Under her idea, rather than having individual Ministers administering portfolios, each portfolio area would be administered by a committee of, say three, MLAs.

There is only one meritorious element in her statements so far about the issue: that she is floating it as an idea rather than as a definite policy position. Mercifully, this means the thing can be quietly forgotten. The episode shows that Ms Carnell is refreshingly inexperienced in the wily ways of politicians. It is usual for them to float ideas by getting someone else to send the balloon up or to hold the kite string, or to allow it to float anonymously as “”an Opposition source”. If everyone says what a wonderful balloon the politician claims it; if the balloon is seen as a fizzer it is forgotten. At least Ms Carnell did not stoop to that sort of gutless hypocrisy. Politicians should not be condemned for floating ideas; nor should Ms Carnell. For too long Australian politics has been straight-jacketed by fear of new ideas. However, that does not mean the idea itself cannot be pulled apart, and pulled apart with some vigour.
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A Canberra couple has been hit with a full year’s land tax after an ordinary residential sell-and-buy which happened to span the new financial year. Patricia and Tony Tart wanted to upgrade from their house in Fisher to a house in Waramanga.

They put their Fisher house on the market in April. In May they found the house they wanted in Waramanga before the Fisher house was sold, so they bought it using bridging finance pending the sale of the Fisher house.

They then sold the Fisher house, with settlement expected on June 30. Alas, through no fault of theirs, settlement was delayed until July 7. It was empty up to that time.
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The formation of a new “”apolitical” ratepayers’ association was announced yesterday (sun aug15).

It comes after a separate group resolved at a public meeting at Hughes Community Centre last week to form a similar body.

The president of the new ACT Ratepayers’ Association of the ACT, Peter Jansen, said his group had reserved the name quite some time ago and had filed for incorporation under the Associations Incorporation Act. He said yesterday that after incorporation membership will be open to ratepayers.
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You can almost feel sorry for Bill Wood. Indeed, if I were Bill Wood, I would be thinking about wandering around to Rosemary Follett’s office asking for a Cabinet reshuffle, so I could get out of the hot seat.

No, hot seat is the wrong cliche _ hot seats would be more correct. I’d only be thinking about it, because there would be dangers, as we shall see.

One of the difficulties with ACT politics is that only four Ministers have to share the whole range of portfolios that come with the ACT Self-Government Act’s requirement to provide for the “”peace, order and good government of the ACT”.
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The High Court’s Mabo decision was not a judicial decision at all, but a usurpation of the powers of the people and Australian Parliament, according to a Queensland professor of law.

Professor Geoffrey Walker, of the University of Queensland, said yesterday that the decision was right according to the facts as they applied on Murray Island in the Torres Strait, but the judges had gone well beyond their judicial function because it was “‘a sweeping change of policy” requiring legislative implementation rather than a judicial settlement of one claim applying the law only to the case at hand.
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The use of the term “”minimalist” should be abandoned, the chair of the Republic Advisory Committee, Malcolm Turnbull, urged yesterday.

It meant different things to different people.

He said also that Australians wanted a popularly elected president, but wanted a non-politician, according a large body of opinion expressed to the committee.

Mr Turnbull said, however, that the two views were inconsistent.
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The ACT is to ban commercial surrogacy but look at regulating non-commercial surrogacy, the Attorney-General, Terry Connolly, said yesterday.

His comments come after a meeting of community services ministers in Melbourne and an appeal by a Canberra couple for a surrogate mother.

Mr Connolly said the ACT was now like NSW _ in a legal vacuum. Victoria, South Australia and Queensland have made it a criminal offence to enter into surrogacy arrangements or to publicise them, punishable by between one and three years’ jail. In those states the agreements are void.
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1. McMullan confident of $26m election promise on museum despite specualtion that Finance wants to chop it at ERC because private sector has not come up with the goods. Private sector says it has promised nothing. ACT is still behind museum.

2. chasing resutls of Libs abortion poll.

3. Rates and land tax notices going out.

Torres Strait Islanders are organising a series of sea-rights claims in the High Court and will ask the court to stop fishing by non-Torres Strait boats.

One claim has already been filed in the High Court by Carlemo Wacando on behalf of the people of Darnley (Erub) and Stephens (Ugar) Islands, claiming the islands and the seas around it.

Mr Wacando said yesterday that he wanted all the councils of elders of islands in the Strait to join his claim. He said fishing by non-indigenous boats should stop immediately.
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