The ACT Legislative Assembly building, as seen from the front

The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly (or, more formally and fully, the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory) is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory. It sits in premises located on Civic Square, close to the centre of the city of Canberra. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1460x1001, 687 KB)Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1460x1001, 687 KB)Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. ... Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... Emblems: The floral emblem of the ACT is the Royal Bluebell and the faunal emblem is the Gang-gang cockatoo Motto: For the Queen, the Law and the People Slogan or Nickname: (none) Other Australian states and territories Capital Canberra Government Const. ... City Walk, a pedestrian mall in Civic is a focus of retail activity and outdoor dining. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ...

It was created by four acts of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1988, including the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988. The first election was held in March 1989 and it first sat on 11 May that year. Until this point, the ACT had been directly administered by the Commonwealth Government. An elected body of the same name had existed for some years prior to 1988, however it had no executive power and its principal function was to advise the Commonwealth on matters relating to the Territory. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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 first election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on 4 March 1989. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ...

The Legislative Assembly has 17 members, elected for three-year terms by the Hare-Clark system, a variation of the Single Transferable Vote form of proportional representation. The 17 members come from three constituencies - Brindabella and Ginninderra, which have five members, and Molonglo, which as seven members. The Assembly was originally elected by a modified d'Hondt system, but a 1992 referendum supported the Hare-Clark method, and this was introduced in 1993. This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ... Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is an electoral system delivering a close match between the percentage of votes that the political parties obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive in legislative assemblies. ... The DHondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Members of the Legislative Assembly vote to elect a Chief Minister - in practice, the leader of whichever party can form government. The Chief Minister, in turn, selects up to five ministers to form a cabinet. The leader of the second-largest party in the assembly usually becomes the Leader of the Opposition. The Chief Minister for the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. ... The Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory is an official role usually occupied by the leader of the second largest party or coalition in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. ...

The Assembly is unique in terms of Australian states and territories, as the Australian Capital Territory has neither a Governor nor an Administrator. Emblems: The floral emblem of the ACT is the Royal Bluebell and the faunal emblem is the Gang-gang cockatoo Motto: For the Queen, the Law and the People Slogan or Nickname: (none) Other Australian states and territories Capital Canberra Government Const. ... The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives in the six states of Australia of Australias head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level. ... The political office of the Administrator of the Northern Territory of Australia has been held by the following people. ...

Election dates for the Assembly are fixed in legislation, with elections held in October every four years. Elections are always held on Saturdays. Until 1997, elections were held in February. They are now held in October. The term of the Assembly was increased in 2004 from three to four years. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As with the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, the ACT Assembly lacks the full powers of a state legislature. As a result, legislation passed by the Assembly can be overruled by a Commonwealth act of Parliament or by the Governor-General acting on the advice of the Commonwealth government, although this is rare in practice. The Commonwealth also retained control of the Territory's justice system until handing it over to the Assembly in 1992. The Assembly assumes many of the functions of a local council, as it covers such a small area, and the city of Canberra has no other local government. The Legislative Assembly is the only chamber of parliament in the Northern Territory in Australia. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ...

Current distribution of seats

The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is the dominant Green political party in Australia. ...

See also

• Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
• Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly

The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. ... Following are lists of members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly: Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 1989-1991 Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 1992-1995 Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 1995-1998 Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly...

External links

• Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly