"Originated on the wrong side of the blanket"? A History of Self-Government in the Australian Capital Territory to 2001

Abstract

This thesis offers a foundational history of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory in the context of the development of self-government. The ACT's is the most recently-created Australian polity, incorporating unique constitutional features. It faced intense community hostility to its establishment in 1989, including the election of MLAs committed to its abolition. This study charts the relationship between the unique circumstances of the new parliament's birth and infancy and the democratic political culture which developed in Canberra during its first dozen years. It argues that these disruptive conditions spawned two essential drivers in the Territory's emerging democratic development: first, growth towards constitutional and operational "normalcy", to demonstrate to sceptical citizens the benefits of responsible government and, secondly, the emergence of an idiosyncratic political culture in which minority government, with just a single exception (2004-08), became an entrenched feature and other departures from recognised political norms have emerged. As such, the thesis serves three important functions. First, it constitutes an appraisal by which the ACT community can evaluate whether their once-disparaged system of government has been a success or a failure. Secondly, it explores the extent to which the ACT experience may constitute a marker for the survival and evolution of Australia's democratic system, currently beset by voter distrust. Thirdly, it offers a (rare) Australian iteration of political "history from within" - historiography by a direct participant in the historical account.