Bob Brown working to obtain full-blown democracy for the ACT

Thanks Skidbladnir there are of course 12 Senators per State (even Tasmania which has 0.7% more Australians than the ACT).
I note that the NT Senators also represent constituents from Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands), while the senators from the ACT also represent voters from the Jervis Bay Territory.
This presumably leaves residents of the Australian Antarctic Territory out in the cold.

Yes please, let this go through, this town needs a decent civil revolt to wake up the noobs trying to run this show.

Democracy for the ACT?

Let’s start with self government hey?

Oh that’s right, we didn’t want it and it was forced on us by the then federal government.

And seriously, do you really want this current bunch of muppets making all our decisions without a watchdog?

+1
Our local council doesn’t need any more powers. They are doing a fine job of completely stuffing everything up as it is.
We simply don’t have the critical mass of people to be given this autonomy.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that allowing an intelligent, well-informed segment of the population to make decisions for themselves is somehow considered a dangerous idea.

facet said :

States have ten Senators and the ACT and NT have two each. If you live in an Australian Territory you are a second class citizen.

How old are you?
There hasn’t been ten senators per state for over twenty-five years. Current list and numbers are here

facet said :

Your opinion is discounted in deciding referendums.
According to the “Australian” this is because you are more likely to be over educated and therefore out of touch with “real” Australians who take their lead from the likes of Alan Jones, Neil Mitchell etc.

Thats because Alan Jones and the Australian love to play No True Scotsman whenever they can.
If you disagree with the Australian, you’re not ‘real Australian’ enough, so must be un-Australian.

States have ten Senators and the ACT and NT have two each. If you live in an Australian Territory you are a second class citizen.
Your opinion is discounted in deciding referendums.
According to the “Australian” this is because you are more likely to be over educated and therefore out of touch with “real” Australians who take their lead from the likes of Alan Jones, Neil Mitchell etc.

Those that live in the Brisbane City Council, still get full representation in the Federal Government.

The ACT will never become a State, although the NT might.

The Commonwealth Government has things to lose and nothing to gain. You can be sure that AGs is advising against any presumption that the seat of the Commonwealth Government will ever be given away.

An Act of Parliament can give autonomy to the ACT, and another one later could take it away. That’s the way it is going to stay. Yes, it is annoying, but it is part and parcel of living in a city full of national (federally funded) institutions and the benefits that go with them. That said, there is a good case for minimum intervention, which has largely prevailed. The issues where meddling federal pollies have become involved are the grandstanding symbolic ones which do not set us apart from most or all States. It is not as if people can run over the border to Queanbeyan to have their gay marriage or organise legally assisted death.

Oh, and anyone who thinks that Bob Brown cares about territories out of the goodness of his heart is naive. He is using it as a way of furthering his social agenda. I don’t have any objection to gay marriage, for example, but it is just plain dishonest to pretend that he is doing this because the status of the ACT keeps him awake at night.

So Bob’s on the job, eh? I presume that there will be much pontification in a nasal drawl. Points will be made. Hands will be waved. Air will be heated and expelled. Brows will be furrowed…etc etc

But I really doubt that anything will actually *happen*.

I thought everyone in the ACT voted against self government in the 1980s? Twice?

The ACT should not have the rights of a state. The ACT government is nothing more than a local council. Personally I find it ridiculous that Liberal / Labour / Greens should have different ideas on how to empty a rubbish bin or how often to mow the lawn.

The city council of Brisbane has a jurisdiction of over 2 million people. Should their local council gain state status?

I say back off Bob Brown and get on with some real issues.

Well it sounds like a good and sensible idea.

But if it is something that Bob Brown supports then I am against it on principle.