Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Robin Tennant-Wood
Key terms/names
Hare-Clark, euthanasia, intergovernmental relations, Legislative Assembly, minority
government, multi-member electorate, National Capital Authority, same-sex
marriage, territory rights, unicameralism
It is paradoxical that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), as the national capital
and seat of the federal parliament, should have the least political representation
of any state or territory jurisdiction in the country per capita. Despite having
a population similar to that of Tasmania, the ACT currently has two federal
electorates, two senators and a 25-member Legislative Assembly. Tasmania, by
comparison, has five federal electorates, 12 senators, a 25-member lower house and
a 40-member upper house, as well as 29 local government areas.
This chapter will explores the ACT’s history and process of government – what
can be described as Australia’s only ‘city state’. 1 In doing so, it asks a number of
questions. Given the disparity in representation, is the ACT more or less effectively
governed than other jurisdictions? Is its relationship with the Commonwealth
government different from that of other states and territories? Situated within New
South Wales (NSW), what is its political and policy relationship with that state? Are
Tennant-Wood, Robin (2019). The Australian Capital Territory. In Peter J. Chen, Nicholas Barry, John
R. Butcher, David Clune, Ian Cook, Adele Garnier, Yvonne Haigh, Sara C. Motta and Marija Taflaga,
eds. Australian politics and policy: senior edition. Sydney: Sydney University Press. DOI: 10.30722/
sup.9781743326671
1 Halligan 2015, 6.
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