The Australian Capital Territory, formerly known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938 and commonly referred to as the ACT, is a federal territory of Australia containing the Australian capital city of Canberra and some surrounding townships. It is located in the south-east of the country and is an enclave within the state of New South Wales. Founded after Federation as the seat of government for the new nation, all important institutions of the Australian federal government are centred in the territory.
The Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was surrendered by the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth Government in 1915 so that the Australian Capital Territory would have access to the sea.
Jervis Bay is a 102-square-kilometre (39 sq mi) oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. It is surrounded by Jervis Bay and Wreck Bay.
The history of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as a separate administrative division began in 1911, when it was transferred from New South Wales to the Australian federal government. The territory contains Australia's capital city Canberra and various smaller settlements. Until 1989, it also administered the Jervis Bay Territory, a small coastal region.
The Seat of Government Act 1908 was enacted by the Australian Government on 14 December 1908. The act selected the Yass-Queanbeyan region as the site for Canberra, the new capital city of Australia.
The Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909 is an Australian Commonwealth Government act, that in conjunction with the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909 transferred land from the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth for the creation of the Federal Capital Territory.
The Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 is an Australian Commonwealth Government act. The act established the Federal Capital Territory's laws based on the laws of New South Wales up until 1911. From 1911 onwards the laws of the territory would be created by the Commonwealth and Governor-General. This system remained in effect up until the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 brought self-government to the ACT.
The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which followed the New South Wales Seat of Government Surrender Act 1915. The Act created the Territory of Jervis Bay, subject to the laws of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). While the Act's use of the language of "annexed" is sometimes interpreted as implying that the Jervis Bay Territory was to form part of the Federal Capital Territory, the accepted legal position is that it has been a legally distinct territory from its creation, despite being subject to FCT/ACT law and being administratively treated as part of the FCT/ACT.
The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia enacted on 6 December 1988, that establishes ‘a body politic under the Crown by the name of the Australian Capital Territory’ and is the Territory's constitutional foundation.
The Seat of Government Surrender Act 1915 was an Act of the New South Wales Parliament transferring land from New South Wales to establish the Jervis Bay Territory as part of the Federal Capital Territory. The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 was the corresponding Commonwealth Act accepting the transfer of land.
Government in the Commonwealth of Australia is exercised on three levels: federal, states and territories, and local government.
The first colonies of the British Empire on the continent of Australia were the penal colony of New South Wales, founded in 1787, and the Swan River Colony, founded in 1829. Over the next few decades, the colonies of New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and Victoria were created from New South Wales, as well as an aborted Colony of North Australia. On 1 January 1901, these colonies, excepting New Zealand, became states in the Commonwealth of Australia. Since federation, the internal borders have remained mostly stable, except for the creation of some territories with limited self-government: the Northern Territory from South Australia, to govern the vast, sparsely populated centre of the country; the split of the Northern Territory into Central Australia and North Australia, and then the quick merger of those back into the Northern Territory; and the Australian Capital Territory, a federal district ceded from New South Wales.
Murray County was one of the original Nineteen Counties in New South Wales and is now one of the 141 Lands administrative divisions of New South Wales. It included the area which is now part of Canberra and as far north as Lake George and Yass. It was originally bounded on the west by the Murrumbidgee River, on the east by the Shoalhaven River and on the north by the Yass River. A large area of the county was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 in the Seat of Government Acceptance Act to make part of the Australian Capital Territory, along with land in Cowley County. Since then, the ACT border is now part of the western boundary. Part of the ACT border is determined by property boundaries in the Parish of Keewong, in the County of Murray; specifically the southern end of portions 177, 218, 211, 36, and 38. This is mentioned in the Seat of Government Acceptance Act of 1909.
Canberra Parish is a former parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. It was formed in the nineteenth century, and existed until 1 January 1911, when the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 came into force, after the land was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 to be used to form the Australian Capital Territory.
Yarrolumla Parish is a former parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. It was formed in the nineteenth century, and existed until 1 January 1911, when the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 came into force, after the land was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 to be used to form the Australian Capital Territory.
Narrabundah Parish is a former parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. It was formed in the nineteenth century, and existed until 1 January 1911, when the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 came into force, after the land was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 to be used to form the Australian Capital Territory.
Gigerline Parish was a former parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. It was formed in the nineteenth century and existed until 1 January 1911, when the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 came into force, after the land was transferred to the Commonwealth government in 1909 to be used to form the Australian Capital Territory.
Keewong Parish is a parish of Murray County, New South Wales, a cadastral unit for use on land titles. A small part of the north-western end of the parish around 35°34′40″S149°07′28″E between the Murrumbidgee River and the Queanbeyan-Cooma railway line was transferred to the Australian Capital Territory in 1909. The southern ends of portions 177, 218, 211, 36, and 38 in the Parish of Keewong form part of the border of the ACT with New South Wales, which is mentioned in the Seat of Government Acceptance Act of 1909.
The Parish of Bherwerre is a parish of the County of St Vincent in New South Wales which formerly included the area that is now the Jervis Bay Territory, which was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia in 1915. Because of this, the parish is now less than half the size it was in the nineteenth century. The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act of 1915 mentions that 18,000 acres (7,300 ha) of the parish were transferred to the Commonwealth. The Seat of Government Acceptance Act of 1909 mentions that three separate parcels in the parish were planned to be transferred to the Commonwealth from Bherwerre, along with land in other nearby parishes, although the actual land transfer in 1915 was only made up of land in the Parish of Bherwerre. The land mentioned in the 1909 act was a 2-square-mile (5.2 km2) portion, a 412-acre (167 ha) portion, and the 132 acres (53 ha) of Bowen Island. At the time, the parish was located in Clyde Shire.
