Background to self-government in the ACT The Australian Capital Territory was established in 1911, initially called the Federal Capital Territory. The Territory was carved out of the state of
New South Wales to make way for the site of the capital of Australia. As the Territory grew, particularly the city of
Canberra from the 1960s, there were increasing calls for some form of self-government. There were a number of appointed and elected advisory bodies between 1920 and 1986. The main elected representative body of the ACT was the
Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly that sat from 1975 to 1986. This House served primarily as an advisory body, with most legislative powers managed by the federal minister for the territories, under section 122 of the
Australian Constitution. In an
advisory referendum held in 1978, voters in the ACT rejected a proposal for self-government, with 63% voting in favour of the proposition that the 'present arrangements for governing the Australian capital should continue for the time being'. Thirty percent of voters favoured self-government with a locally elected body with state-like powers, and 6% voted for a locally elected body with powers and functions similar to those of local government. In spite of the referendum outcome, in 1983, the federal
Labor government of prime minister
Bob Hawke set up a Self-Government Task Force to report on the government of the ACT. Further, it wanted to force the ACT into line with the states on funding levels The parties include the "
Sun-Ripened Warm Tomato Party", "Party! Party! Party!" and "Surprise Party". The centre-left
Labor Party, led by
Rosemary Follett, and the centre-right
Liberal Party, led by
Trevor Kaine, were the main challengers. Three minor parties also played a prominent role in the campaign including
Residents Rally, a self described "community-based urban green party", led by
Bernard Collaery, as well as two parties campaigning on platforms of opposing self-government. ==Results==