Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

• the development of a city which both respects environmental values and reflects nationalconcerns with the sustainability of Australia’s urban areas.These matters are very broadly defined. The ACT Government’s view has been that revisedMatters of National Capital Significance should be developed that are more specific, haveassociated actions and, crucially, are supported by appropriate Commonwealth Governmentfunding. One example of this would be the ongoing management of hills and ridges and theimpacts of the national open space system in achieving more efficient land use and otherservice outcomes such as transport.In parallel to resolving planning related issues, the need for the Commonwealth’sresponsibilities for maintenance and stewardship of Commonwealth land in the ACT,responsibility for management of Lake Burley Griffin, as well as the NCA’s role inpromoting Canberra (including the national institutions) in a coordinated program with ACTTourism, should also be considered. The Commonwealth Government has an obligation tofund the delivery of its responsibilities to the national capital not only in relation to municipalmaintenance and the operation of national attractions for which it is responsible, but also infunding promotion of Canberra as the national capital.Jervis BayThe Jervis Bay Acceptance Act (1915) (Cwlth) applies ACT law to the Jervis Bay Territoryas if it were part of the ACT.Before ACT self government, Jervis Bay was part of the ACT and was managed by theCommonwealth Government. With self government in 1989, fee for service arrangementsbetween the ACT and the Commonwealth were put in place to ensure continuity of servicedelivery to the Jervis Bay Territory. Since the mid 1990’s, the ACT has indicated that legacystatutory and service arrangements do not make sense in the self government environment.A revised statutory framework and arrangements with adjoining NSW would not onlyremove the need for the ACT to provide services at a distance but also bring policy benefitsif community and other services provided to Wreck Bay aligned more closely with those inNSW.The ACT has a contractual arrangement with the Commonwealth Government for servicedelivery to Jervis Bay. Agreements for the provision of services in the Jervis Bay Territoryare contained in Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) (most of which expired in 1996 orearlier, with the exception of the Primary and Preschool Education Services, which expired atthe end of the 2003 academic year).While some service levels have been maintained in accordance with levels set out in thespecific MOU, others have ceased or are performed on an as needed basis. Since expirationof the MOUs, the ACT has expressed a desire to cease all service provision to the Jervis BayTerritory. This remains the subject of ongoing discussion between Ministers and betweenofficials. Resolving this issue is complicated by responsibility for the territories functionhaving moved across three Commonwealth agencies over the past four years.Context for the Review: 51