Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital the Records about Government Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory Ted Ling Ted Ling Ted Research guide Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory Ted Ling National Archives of Australia © Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2013 This product, excluding the National Archives of Australia logo, Commonwealth Coat of Arms and any material owned by a third party or protected by a trademark, has been released under a Creative Commons BY 3.0 (CC–BY 3.0) licence. Excluded material owned by third parties may include, for example, design and layout, images obtained under licence from third parties and signatures. The National Archives of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify and label material owned by third parties. You may distribute, remix and build on this work. However, you must attribute the National Archives of Australia as the copyright holder of the work in compliance with its attribution policy available at naa.gov.au/copyright. The full terms and conditions of this licence are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au. Inquiries relating to copyright should be emailed to [email protected]. Images that appear in this book are reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Every reasonable endeavour has been made to locate and contact copyright holders. Where this has not proved possible, copyright holders are invited to contact the publisher. This guide is number 25 in the series of research guides published by the National Archives. Guides include the material known to be relevant to their subject area but they are not necessarily a complete or definitive guide to all relevant material in the collection. The National Archives reviews its collection to confirm the value of records for research, evidential and other purposes or to identify, in consultation with agencies, records for destruction. At the time of publication, all of the National Archives’ records described in this guide were present in the Archives’ collection. Subsequent to release of this publication, it is possible that some of the records may be destroyed if they are reviewed and considered not to be of enduring value. This publication is also available online at guides.naa.gov.au. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Author: Ling, Ted, author. Title: Government records about the Australian Capital Territory / Ted Ling. ISBN: 9781922209023 (paperback) Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: National Archives of Australia--Catalogs. Public records--Australian Capital Territory--Bibliography--Catalogs. Public records--Australia--Bibliography--Catalogs. Australian Capital Territory--History--Sources--Bibliography--Catalogs. Other Authors/Contributors: National Archives of Australia, issuing body. Dewey Number: 352.38709947 Published by the National Archives of Australia t (02) 6212 3600 e [email protected] w naa.gov.au Project managers: Angela McAdam and Michaela Forster Editors: Michaela Forster and Fiona Skivington Designer: Lora Miloloza Manuscript reviewers: Denis Connor, Maggie Shapley, Barrie Price, Lenore Coltheart, Dani Wickman and Elizabeth Estbergs Cover image: ‘Canberra, Australian Capital Territory’ travel poster, 1932. Designer: James Northfield. © James Northfield Heritage Trust. NAA: M948, 1 This guide contains images of people now deceased. Foreword During the opening ceremony for the Sydney Building in December 1927 Prime Minister Bruce prophetically noted that ‘few of us have the imagination to see what will happen in this city in the next 50 or 100 years’. The Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin original design for Canberra assumed a population of 75,000, yet in 2013 the population is 367,000. Through periods of war and depression, and particularly since 1958, the Territory has grown beyond anything that was envisaged when it was first established in 1911. Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory tells the story of the administration of Canberra and Territory over the last 100 years. The National Archives of Australia and ArchivesACT have been delighted to work together to produce this research guide to mark the centenary of the naming of Canberra as the national capital. Both institutions hold fascinating collections documenting the history of the Commonwealth and Territory governments and their interaction with the people of the ACT. Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory draws extensively on records held not only by the National Archives and ArchivesACT, but also other collecting institutions such as the Australian National University Archives, ACT Heritage Library and National Library of Australia. Structured according to functions that are essentially the responsibility of the Australian Government or the ACT Government, this publication primarily draws together records from two separate institutions and uses them to present one consolidated history of the ACT. Diverse, and sometimes surprising, topics are covered, from Federation, early administration and the national capital’s iconic buildings, through to bus shelters, the arts and public gardens. A rich and informative publication, it will also highlight areas for further research. We commend and thank Ted Ling and all others involved in the development of this research guide. It is an invaluable research tool showcasing and consolidating archival records relating to the ACT and its people. Danielle Wickman David Fricker Director of Territory Records Director-General Territory Records Office/ArchivesACT National Archives of Australia iii Contents Foreword ..........................................................................................................................................iii Images ............................................................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................................xi Part 1 Canberra: the national capital .............................................................................1 Chapter 1 An overview of the Australian Capital Territory .....................................................2 Chapter 2 Federation and the search for a capital, 1891–1913 ...........................................6 Chapter 3 Early administration of the capital, 1911–27 .....................................................15 Chapter 4 Depression and war: Canberra in decline, 1927–57 ..........................................37 Chapter 5 Suburbs still searching for a city, 1957–72 ........................................................54 Chapter 6 Changes in the wind, 1972–89 ........................................................................69 Chapter 7 The road to self-government ............................................................................83 Chapter 8 Iconic buildings and monuments ......................................................................96 Part 2 Canberra: a community ...................................................................................117 Chapter 9 Utilities: electricity, water and sewerage ..........................................................118 Chapter 10 Education .......................................................................................................131 Chapter 11 Health and medical services ...........................................................................148 Chapter 12 Law and order, emergency services and natural disasters ..............................163 Chapter 13 Civil and welfare services ................................................................................177 Chapter 14 Transportation: trains, planes, buses and cars ................................................188 Chapter 15 The arts, community and sport .......................................................................203 Chapter 16 Parks and gardens .........................................................................................215 Part 3 Appendixes .......................................................................................................227 Appendix A Chronology of the administration of Canberra and the ACT ............................. 228 Appendix B Government agencies and officials responsible for the administration of the ACT and the records they created ......................................................... 238 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 243 Index ...............................................................................................................................246 v Images Topographical map of the Federal Territory Australia, circa 1910. NAA: A811, 1/4 part 1 and part 2 ......................................................................................................... xii Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, Canberra, 1964. NAA: A1200, L47601 .............................................. xiv Tuggeranong Public School’s punishment book, circa 1898. ArchivesACT: 2013/2013/16351............... 3 Lady Denman names the federal capital city ‘Canberra’, 12 March 1913. NAA: M1491, 6 ..................