Australian Capital Territory general election, 1989

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Australian Capital Territory general election, 1989

Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg

4 March 1989 (1989-03-04) 1992  →
All 17 seats of the unicameral Legislative Assembly

 First partySecond party
 
Leader Rosemary Follett Trevor Kaine
Party Labor Liberal
Leader since4 March 19894 March 1989
Seats won5 seats4 seats
Seat changeIncrease2.svg5Increase2.svg4
Percentage22.8%14.9%
Resulting Chief Minister

Rosemary Follett
Labor

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 4 March 1989. This was the first direct election by voters in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for their own legislative body.

Australian Capital Territory Federal territory of Australia, containing the capital city, Canberra

The Australian Capital Territory is a federal territory of Australia, located in the south-east of the country and enclaved within the state of New South Wales. It contains Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

Contents

The Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, and the Liberal Party, led by Trevor Kaine, were the main challengers. Candidates were elected to fill seats using a modified D'Hondt method for a multi-member single constituency. The result was a hung parliament. However, Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly, formed Government with the support of various non-aligned minor parties. Follett was elected the first Chief Minister at the first sitting of the first Assembly on 11 May 1989. [1]

The Australian Labor Party , commonly known as ACT Labor, is the ACT branch of the Australian Labor Party. It is one of two major parties in the unicameral Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory.

Rosemary Follett is a former Australian politician who was the inaugural Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, serving in 1989 and again between 1991 and 1995. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory.

Key dates

[2]

The electoral roll is a list of persons who are eligible to vote in a particular electoral district and who are registered to vote, if required in a particular jurisdiction. An electoral roll has a number of functions, especially to streamline voting on election day. Voter registration is also used to combat electoral fraud by enabling authorities to verify an applicant's identity and entitlement to a vote, and to ensure a person doesn't vote multiple times. In jurisdictions where voting is compulsory, the electoral roll is used to indicate who has failed to vote. Most jurisdictions maintain permanent electoral rolls while some jurisdictions compile new electoral rolls before each election. In some jurisdictions, people to be selected for jury or other civil duties are chosen from an electoral roll.

Overview

Background to self-government in the Australian Capital Territory

See Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly

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. [3] 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. [4] 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. [5] [6] 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. [7] Further, it wanted to force the ACT into line with the states on funding levels [6] and, in late 1988, the Australian Government passed the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act, allowing for the self-government of the ACT.

New South Wales State of Australia

New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Tasman Sea to the east. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave within the state. New South Wales' state capital is Sydney, which is also Australia's most populous city. In March 2018, the population of New South Wales was over 7.9 million, making it Australia's most populous state. Just under two-thirds of the state's population, 5.1 million, live in the Greater Sydney area. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen.

The Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly was the main elected representative body of the Australian Capital Territory between 1975 and 1986, when preparations began to be made for the granting of self-government to the Territory. It served a largely advisory role, with most powers over the Territory still lying in the hands of the relevant federal minister through the life of the Assembly.

Bob Hawke Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia

Robert James Lee Hawke, is an Australian former politician who was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Labor Party from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving Labor Party Prime Minister.

Political parties and election process

The Australian Capital Territory comprised one electorate for the election. However, electors were only able to cast ordinary votes within their own federal electoral seats of either Canberra or Fraser. The election was conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission, operating under Commonwealth legislation. [2] The election was notable for having a ballot paper almost one-metre wide that listed 117 candidates for election representing 22 political parties. A number of parties ran in opposition to self-government and there was a number of people taking full advantage of some of the more ludicrous or ridiculous aspects of the ballot paper. [8] The parties include the "Sun-Ripened Warm Tomato Party", "Party! Party! Party!" and "Surprise Party". [9]

Division of Canberra Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Canberra is an Australian electoral division in the Australian Capital Territory. The division was created in redistribution of 19 April 1974 of the former Division of Australian Capital Territory. It is named for the city of Canberra, Australia's national capital, and includes the districts of Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Woden Valley, along with the rest of the ACT south of the Molonglo River and Lake Burley Griffin. Civic, Acton, Turner, Braddon, Reid, Campbell and Pialligo are also in Canberra. For most of its history it has been a fairly safe seat for the Australian Labor Party, but it has been won by the Liberal Party twice, most recently at a 1995 by-election. As of 1 July 2016, the division includes Norfolk Island.

Division of Fraser may refer to:

Australian Electoral Commission national election commission of Australia

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent federal agency in charge of organising, conducting and supervising federal elections, by-elections and referendums.

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", [10] led by Bernard Collaery, as well as two parties campaigning on platforms of opposing self-government. [8]

Trevor Thomas Kaine, an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal Party and later as an independent.

Residents Rally was an Australian political party, with four candidates elected to the first Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly at the 1989 Australian Capital Territory general election. Residents Rally were led by Canberra human rights barrister and lawyer, Bernard Collaery. Collaery defined the party as "a community-based urban green party". The Rally formed a coalition with the Liberal Party, led by Trevor Kaine, in late 1989. However, this fractious Alliance was to last for only two years before collapsing. The Rally was unsuccessful in retaining any seats at the 1992 ACT general election.

Bernard Collaery Australian politician and lawyer

Bernard Joseph Edward Collaery is an Australian barrister, lawyer and former politician. Collaery was a member of the Australian Capital Territory's first Legislative Assembly for the Residents Rally party, from 1989 to 1992. He served as Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General from 1989 to 1991 in the Kaine Alliance Government.

Candidates

[11] At the inaugural election, candidates were elected to fill seats using a modified D'Hondt method for a multi-member single constituency covering the entire Territory. Seventeen vacancies were available to fill the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly. Tickets that elected at least one MLA are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Abolished ACT House of Assembly candidates

With the ACT House of Assembly abolished in 1986, the following elected representatives from the previous House nominated as candidates for election to the inaugural ACT Legislative Assembly:

Labor

Liberal

Independents

Nationals

Family Team

All candidates and parties seeking election

Labor Candidates Liberal Candidates NSG Candidates Residents Rally Candidates ASGC Candidates
   
  1. Rosemary Follett*
  2. Paul Whalan*
  3. Wayne Berry*
  4. Ellnor Grassby*
  5. Bill Wood*
  6. Di Ford
  7. Kevin Gill
  8. Anna Robieson
  9. Martin Attridge
  10. Peta Beelen
  11. Barry Reid
  1. Gary Humphries*
  2. Trevor Kaine*
  3. Robyn Nolan*
  4. Bill Stefaniak*
  5. Greg Cornwell
  6. Lyle Dunne
  7. Peter Kobold
  8. Judith Dowson
  9. Peter Jansen
  10. Bob Winnel
  1. Craig Duby*
  2. Carmel Maher*
  3. David Prowse*
  4. John Taylor
  5. Norman Henry
  6. Peter Alabaster
  7. John Cunningham
  8. Chris Elworthy
  9. Elma Lindh
  10. Nev Aurousseau
  11. John Cantlon
  12. Ken Durie
  13. Bob Smythe
  14. Lindsay Sales
  15. Philippa Meredith
  16. Jack Wright
  17. Yvonne Hammond
  1. Bernard Collaery*
  2. Norm Jensen*
  3. Michael Moore*
  4. Hector Kinloch*
  5. Joan Kellett
  6. Chris Donohue
  7. Marion Le
  8. Kelvin Giles
  9. Catherine Rossiter
  1. Dennis Stevenson*
  2. Flo Grant
  3. Gladys Dickson
  4. Chris Tazreiter
  5. Nerolie Bush
  6. Geoff Doepel
  7. Trish Orton
  8. Gail Aiken
  9. Mike Trevethan
  10. Reg Hayward
  11. Colin Beaton
  12. John Hesketh
Democrats Candidates Nationals Candidates Family Team Candidates FEC Candidates Canberra First Candidates
 
  1. Arminel Ryan
  2. Bill Mason
  3. Heather Jeffcoat
  1. David Adams
  2. Michael Mullins
  3. Bruce MacKinnon
  1. Bev Cains
  2. Dawn Casley-Smith
  3. Ron Gane
  4. Bill Fearon
  5. Dennis Meagher
  6. Drewe Just
  1. Tony Fleming
  2. Alan Runciman
  3. Sarah Kirschbaum
  4. Gordon McAllister
  5. Gus Petersilka
  6. Julie McCarron-Benson
  1. Allan Nelson
  2. Beryl Byrnes
  3. John McMahon
  4. Jeff Brown
  5. Michael Apps
  6. Barry Brogan
  7. Jennie Booth
  8. Arthur Hetherington
  9. Elisabeth Apps
  10. Mike McColl
  11. Matt Campbell
  12. Garry Behan
Haslem Candidates Party! Party! Party! Candidates SWP Candidate DRWP Candidates Home Rule OK Candidate
 
  1. John Haslem
  2. Caryl Haslem
  1. Amanda Call
  2. Shane McMillan
  1. Kristian Whittaker
  1. Peter Burrows
  2. Derek Robinson
  1. Tony Boye
A Better Idea Candidate Christian Alt. Candidates Sleepers Wake Candidate Community Candidates Tomato Candidates
 
  1. Mick Scurfield
  1. Nathan Stirling
  2. Bernadette Ibell
  1. John Bellamy
  1. Ken Fry
  2. Domenic Mico
  3. Lorne Doyle
  1. Emile Brunoro
  2. Rick Kenny
Spagnolo Candidate Surprise Party CandidateUngrouped Candidates
 
  1. Tony Spagnolo
  1. C J Burns

Frank Crnkovic (Ind)
Bill Mackey (Ind)
Bob Reid (Ind)
Kevin Robert Wise (Ind)
Gary James Pead (Ind)
Bill Pye (Ind)
John Rocke (Ind)
Harold Hird (Ind)
Lyall L Gillespie (Ind)

Result

It took almost two months after election day to determine the results of the election. [12] Four people won seats on ostensible platforms of abolishing self-government. The result was a hung parliament. First preference results of the major contenders at conclusion of the final count were: Labor Party – 22.8 per cent, Liberal – 14.9 per cent, No Self Government Party – 11.5 per cent, Residents Rally – 9.6 per cent, and Abolish Self-Government Coalition – 7.5 per cent. [13] Other candidates and parties that polled well, but failed to achieve a quota included Fair Elections Coalition (5.5%), John Haslem (4.8%), The A.C.T. Community Party (4.1%), and Bill Mackay (4.0%).

Following distribution of preferences, the membership of the first Assembly was one member from the Abolish Self-Government Coalition; five members from the Australian Labor Party; four members from the Liberal Party; three members from the No Self Government Party and four members from the Residents Rally. [14] Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly, formed a minority Government. Follett was elected the first Chief Minister at the first sitting of the first Assembly on 11 May 1989, [1] sitting in rented premises at 1 Constitution Avenue, Canberra City. The final sitting of the first Assembly was on 17 December 1991.

Officers

The office holders of the first Assembly [1] were:

See also

Related Research Articles

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Wayne Bruce Berry, former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2008, representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Labor Party. Berry served as Deputy Chief Minister from 1991 to 1994, Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 1998 and Speaker of the Assembly from 2001 to 2008.

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 15 February 1992, alongside a referendum on an electoral system for future elections. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Trevor Kaine. Candidates were elected to fill seats using a modified D'Hondt method for a multi-member single constituency. The result was another hung parliament. However, Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly, formed Government with the support of Michael Moore and Helen Szuty. Follett was elected Chief Minister at the first sitting of the second Assembly on 27 March 1992.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Legislative Assembly for the ACT – Week 1" (PDF). ACT Hansard . ACT Legislative Assembly. 11 May 1989. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
  2. 1 2 "Election timetable". ACT Legislative Assembly election – 1989. ACT Electoral Commission. 1989. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  3. ↑ "A brief history of self-government in the ACT". Education – fact sheets. ACT Legislative Assembly. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Self-Government – Setting the Scene". Education – fact sheets. ACT Legislative Assembly. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  5. ↑ "Australian Capital Territory – Parliaments". Civics and Citizenship Education. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. 2009. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  6. 1 2 "Canberra 1983–1993 – 8th decade". The history of Canberra. Hull, Crispin. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  7. ↑ "Australian Capital Territory". Documenting a Democracy. National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 16 July 2005. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  8. 1 2 "20 Years of Self Government". Stateline . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  9. ↑ "Election compendium" (PDF). ACT Electoral Commission. 2004. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  10. ↑ Collaery, Bernard (1991). "Community policing – an ACT perspective". Australian Institute of Criminology . Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  11. ↑ "List of candidates". 1989 Election. ACT Electoral Commission. 1989. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  12. ↑ "04 May 1989 - The Canberra Times - p1". nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  13. ↑ "First Preference Results". 1989 Election. ACT Electoral Commission. 1989. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  14. ↑ "List of elected candidates". 1989 Election. ACT Electoral Commission. 1989. Retrieved 2015-10-19.

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