deemed to be assisted, and 21,000 non-assisted Aboriginal and Island Queenslanders live in the general community and have full citizenship rights. HISTORY Captain Cook discovered Moreton Bay in 1770, but the Brisbane River, running into it, was not located until 1823. The Moreton Bay Settlement was formed in New South Wales in 1824. The Darling Downs were explored in 1827 and squatters began to settle there soon afterwards. The territory was not, however, thrown open to colonisation until 1842. It was separated from New South Wales in 1859, to become a separate colony with about 25,000 inhabitants. It received responsible government at the same time. CONSTITUTION The constitution is regulated by the Letters Patent of 6th June 1859 and Queensland Act 31, Vict. No. 38. The legislature consists of one House, the Legislative Assembly, the members of which are elected (since 1905) by male and female adult franchise on residential qualifications only (three months' continuous residence in the State, and six months' within the Commonwealth). By the Electoral Districts Act of 1958 the State is divided into 78 districts, each returning one member. It is compulsory for all duly qualified persons to vote at State and Local Authority Elections. The Upper House, or Legislative Council, was abolished by an Act passed in 1922 (12 Geo. V. c.32). Its members were nominated by the Governor-inCouncil and held office for life. GOVERNMENT Following the 1969 Election the Country Party holds 26 seats, the Liberal Party 19 seats, the Australian Labour Party 31 seats, the Queensland Labour Party 1 seat and the North Queensland Labour Party 1 seat. The Country and Liberal Parties, with a total of 45 seats, form a coalition Government. GOVERNOR His Excellency The Hon. Sir Alan James Mansfield, KCMG CABINET Premier and Minister for State Development: Hon. J. Bjelke Peterson, MLA Minister of Works, Housing and Police: Hon. A. M. Hodges, MLA Minister for Labour and Tourism: Hon. J. D. Herbert, MLA Minister for Industrial Development: Hon. F. A. Campbell, MLA Minister for Conservation, Marine and Aboriginal Affairs: Hon. N. T. E. Hewitt, MLA LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION J. W. Houston, MLA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Speaker: The Hon. D. E. Nicholson, MLA South Australia consists of that portion of Australia bounded on the east by the 141st meridian of East longitude, on the north by the 26th parallel of South latitude, on the west by the 129th meridian of East longitude, and on the south by the Southern Ocean. The northern boundary is therefore approximately 746 miles long, while the distance from north to south varies from 391 miles near the western extremity to approximately 823 miles near the eastern boundary. Excluding minor indentations, the coast line runs for 1,540 miles. The total area of the State is approximately 380,070 square miles, of which roughly 23,300 square miles are closely settled (principally near the coast), while 218,300 square miles are under sparse occupation, mainly pastoral. The State was constituted a British colony by Act of Parliament 4 and 5 William IV, Cap. 95, under the designation of South Australia, the western boundary then being defined as the 132nd meridian of East longitude. In 1861 the boundary of South Australia on the western side was extended to the 129th meridian of East longitude by Act 24 and 25 Vict. Cap. 44. The country known as the Northern Territory from the 26th parallel of south latitude to the Indian Ocean, between the 129th and 138th meridians of East longitude, was annexed to South Australia in 1863 by Letters Patent, but on 1st January 1911 this portion of the State was taken over by the Commonwealth of Australia. All the adjacent islands on the south coast, including Kangaroo Island with an area of 1,700 square miles, are included in the State. The estimated population of the State at 31st December 1967 was 1,118,000 of whom over 728,000 live in the capital, Adelaide. The larger country centres include Whyalla, population at 30th June 1966, 22,125, Mount Gambier 17,146, Port Pirie 15,549, and Port Augusta 10,128. The major seaports are Port Adelaide and Port Stanvac on Gulf St Vincent, Whyalla, Port Pirie, Wallaroo and Port Lincoln on Spencer Gulf, and Thevenard on the Great Australian Bight. Adelaide Airport, located about five miles west of the centre of the city, is the main commercial airport while the main military airport is Edinburgh, near Salisbury, about fifteen miles north of Adelaide. Principal primary products are wool, wheat, barley, oats, grapes, oranges, apples and pears, apricots and peaches. The approximate livestock population For further information about South Australia see The South Australian Year Book. at 31st March 1967 was sheep 18 million, cattle for meat production 439,000, cattle for milk production 248,000, and pigs 222,000. The principal industries include a fully integrated iron and steel industry, the largest shipbuilding industry in Australia, production of motor vehicle panels, bodies and engines, materials handling equipment, agricultural machinery, a highly developed domestic appliance industry, ferrous and non-ferrous pipes and tubes and a complete range of engineering industries, a complex electronics industry, a large alkali industry and solar salt fields, oil refining, the largest lead smelting plant in the world and a modern timber and paper industry. Electricity generated during 1967 by the main power stations at Osborne and Torrens Island on the outskirts of Adelaide, and Port Augusta, amounted to 3,055 million kilowatt hours. The power station at Port Augusta at the head of Spencer Gulf uses low grade coal mined by open cut at Leigh Creek, approximately 160 miles north of Port Augusta and 360 miles north of Adelaide. During the production period two million tons of this fuel were used. A major power station on Torrens Island located near Osborne, was brought into full service in 1968 using fuel oil. Natural gas has been discovered in the north of the State, and it is expected that a pipeline will be constructed and gas delivered to Adelaide by the end of 1969. Gas will be used as a fuel by the major industries and also in the Torrens Island Power Station. The Whyalla shipyards, are engaged currently in building a series of bulk cargo vessels of 55,100 tons deadweight. A giant off-shore drilling rig, ‘Ocean Digger', which involved completely new techniques in Australia, was launched in August 1967 and is undertaking drilling for oil in South Australian and adjacent waters. Extensive radiata pine plantations in the south-east of the State support sawmilling and paper-pulp industries. A State-owned sawmill at Mount Gambier is the largest in Australia and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, having an annual intake of 50,000,000 super feet of logs. HISTORY The south coast was explored by Flinders in 1802 and in 1830 Captain Charles Sturt navigated the River Murray from its junction with the Murrumbidgee to its mouth. The colony of South Australia was founded in 1836 on a scheme of colonisation expounded by Edward Gibbon Wakefield. The general principle, as set out in the Ripon Regulations, was that the Government should sell colonial lands and use the proceeds for emigration to the colony, and that Britain should later grant some measure of self-government. Under the Foundation Act the control was divided between the Colonial Office and a Board of Commissioners for Land Sales and Emigration. The Board of Commissioners was wound up in 1841, and in 1842 a nominated Legislative Council was set up. Responsible government was established in 1856. The task of choosing the site for the first settlement in the colony was entrusted to Colonel William Light. After landing on Kangaroo Island he rejected this site, Port Lincoln and the eastern shore of Spencer Gulf, in favour of the east coast of Gulf St Vincent where he surveyed the present site of Adelaide on the coastal plains at the foot of the Mount Lofty Ranges. CONSTITUTION The Parliament of South Australia consists of a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly, created by South Australia Act No. 2 of 1855-56, which was proclaimed on 24th October 1856. This Act, commonly called the Constitution Act, was passed by virtue of Imperial Act 13 and 14 Vict. Cap. 59. The Legislative Council and House of Assembly as originally constituted consisted of eighteen and thirty-six members respectively. By South Australia Act No. 27 of 1872 the House of Assembly was increased to forty-six members, representing twenty-two electoral districts. By Act No. 236 of 1881 six members were added to the Legislative Council, and the colony was divided into four electoral districts for the purpose of Council elections. In 1882 the House of Assembly was further increased to fifty-two members, representing twenty-six electoral districts. Act No. 450 of 1888 constituted Northern Territory an electoral district to return two members, thus increasing the number of members to 54 as from April 1890. By Act 779 of 1901 the number of members was reduced to eighteen in the Legislative Council and forty-two (representing thirteen districts) in the House of Assembly. Act No. 1029 of 1910 repealed Act No. 450 of 1888 and the House of Assembly was reduced to forty members from twelve districts from 5th January 1911, on severance of Northern Territory. By Act 1148 of 1913 the Assembly districts were increased to nineteen, returning fortysix members. Act 2336 of 1936 divided the State into thirty-nine electoral districts, each returning one member. Elections are conducted by preferential ballot and since 1942 voting at elections has been compulsory. Each of the five electoral districts of the Legislative Council returns four members for six years, two of those members being elected every three years (section 10 of Act 959 of 1908 and section 15 of Act 1148 of 1913). Judges, Ministers of Religion, Members of either House of the Commonwealth Parliament and persons holding an office of profit under the Crown, are ineligible for membership of either House of the South Australian Parliament. Qualifications for a Member of the Legislative Council are that he or she shall have attained the age of 30 years, be a British subject, and have resided in the State for three years. An elector for the Legislative Council must be 21 years of age, be a natural-born or naturalised British subject, have resided in South Australia for at least six months, and, in addition, possess certain property or war service qualifications specified in the Constitution Act. The House of Assembly is elected for a term of three years but may be dissolved earlier by the Governor. Any person who is qualified and entitled to be registered as an elector for the House of Assembly is eligible for membership of it, provided he or she is not disqualified by holding one of the offices mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The qualifications of an elector for the House of Assembly are that he or she be at least 21 years of age and a natural-born or naturalized British subject and have resided in Australia for six months, in South Australia for three months, and in the subdivision for one month. The franchise for both Houses was extended to adult women by Act 613 of 1894. South Australia was the first Australian State to extend the franchise to adult women. GOVERNMENT As a result of the general election held on 2nd March 1968, the Liberal Country League obtained 19 seats in the House of Assembly (the Lower House), the Australian Labour Party retained 19 seats and the sole Independent retained his seat. The Labour Government did not resign immediately but held office until 16th April 1968 when it was defeated on the floor of the House. A Liberal Country League Government assumed office the following day. In the Legislative Council the Liberal Country League has 16 seats and the Australian Labour Party 4. The Cabinet consists of nine Ministers (members of the Legislature) who are ex-officio members of the Executive Council which consists of Governor and Ministers. GOVERNOR His Excellency Major-General Sir James Harrison, KCMG, CB, CBE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR The Hon. Sir John Mellis Napier, KCMG CABINET Premier and Minister of Industrial Development: The Hon. Steele Hall, MP Treasurer and Minister of Housing: The Hon. G. G. Pearson, MP Minister of Education: The Hon. Joyce Steele, MP *Minister of Local Government, Minister of Roads and Transport: LEADER OF OPPOSITION The Hon. D. A. Dunstan, QC, MP LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL President: Hon. Sir A. Lyell McEwin, KBE, MLC Clerk of Parliaments and Clerk of Legislative Council: I. J. Ball HOUSE OF Assembly Speaker: The Hon. T. C. Stott, CBE, MP SUPREME COURT The Hon. The Chief Justice: Dr J. J. Bray Judges: The Hon. Mr Justice R. R. St C. Chamberlain The Hon. Mr Justice C. H. Bright The Hon. Mr Justice J. L. Travers The Hon. Mr Justice D. S. Hogarth * Ministers in Legislative Council. The Hon. Mr Justice Roma F. Mitchell WESTERN AUSTRALIA Western Australia comprises nearly one-third of the Australian continent. The total area is 975,920 square miles (more than one-fourth the area of Europe). The population of the State at 31st December 1968 was 930,900 of whom an estimated 605,000 lived in the metropolitan area. Perth, the capital city, is situated on the Swan River, twelve miles from the river mouth at Fremantle, the State's principal port. For further information about Western Australia see the Official Year Book of Western Australia |