94-788: The Cotter River System ( CRS ) is located in the Australian Capital Territory and was constructed in 1912. A feature of the Namadgi National Park , the Cotter River System is one of two main sources for the Australian Capital Territory's water supply , the other being the Queanbeyan River located north of the Australian Capital Territory in New South Wales. Nevertheless, the Cotter River System
188-555: A day. ANU was ranked 30th in the world (fourth in Australia) by the 2025 QS World University Rankings , and 62nd in the world (fifth in Australia) by the 2023 Times Higher Education . In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020, ANU was ranked 6th in the world for geology, 7th for philosophy, 8th in the world for politics, 9th in the world for sociology, 13th in the world for development studies and 15th in
282-555: A dozen current heads of government departments of Australia . The latest releases of ANU's scholarly publications are held through ANU Press online. Calls for the establishment of a national university in Australia began as early as 1900. After the location of the nation's capital, Canberra , was determined in 1908, land was set aside for the ANU at the foot of Black Mountain in the city designs by Walter Burley Griffin . Establishment of
376-411: A few titles were not transferred until the late 20th Century. Land within the territory is granted under a leasehold system, with 99-year residential leases sold to buyers as new suburbs are planned, surveyed, and developed. The current policy is for these leases to be extended for another 99-year period on expiry, subject to payment of an administrative fee. In an arrangement inspired by Georgism ,
470-733: A number of Ministers. The executive power of the Territory rests with the ACT Government , led by the Executive. The Executive is chaired by the Chief Minister (currently the Labor Party 's Andrew Barr ) and consists of Ministers appointed by them. The Executive are supported by the ACT Public Service, which is arranged into directorates, and a number of public authorities. The Chief Minister
564-493: A number of species including Pinus radiata on the slopes of Mount Stromlo. Since then, plantations have been expanded, with the benefit of reducing erosion in the Cotter catchment, and the forests are also popular recreation areas. The fauna of the territory includes representatives from most major Australian animal groups . This includes kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypus, echidna, emu, kookaburras and dragon lizards. Unlike
658-437: A protest vote by disgruntled Canberrans and a total of 8 were won by minor parties and independents. In 1992, Labor won eight seats and the minor parties and independents won only three. Stability increased, and in 1995, Kate Carnell became the first elected Liberal chief minister. In 1998, Carnell became the first chief minister to be re-elected. The Australian Capital Territory is the smallest mainland territory (aside from
752-474: A research partnership with Harvard University . The library of ANU originated in 1948 with the appointment of the first librarian, Arthur McDonald. The library holds over 2.5 million physical volumes distributed across six branches—the Chifley, Menzies, Hancock, Art & Music, and Law Libraries and the external Print Repository. Chifley and Hancock library are both accessible for ANU staff and students 24 hours
846-401: A venue for temporary exhibitions. There are four separate exhibition spaces, which provide the venues not only for exhibitions developed by or in collaboration with the university, but also to accompany major conferences and public events. The venue hosts both national and international exhibitions. Sidney Nolan 's panorama, Riverbend , which comprises nine panels, ís on permanent display at
940-466: A world-leading forum for exposition and analysis of the evolution, structure, and implications of our moral, social and political life." Its president is Nicholas Southwood and key people include Seth Lazar , Geoff Brennan , Bob Goodin , Frank Jackson, Philip Pettit and Michael Smith. The ANU College of Asia and the Pacific is a specialist centre of Asian and Pacific studies and languages, among
1034-622: Is a public research university and member of the Group of Eight , located in Canberra , the capital of Australia . Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and institutes. Established in 1946, ANU is the only university to have been created by the Parliament of Australia . It traces its origins to Canberra University College , which
SECTION 10
#17328551139571128-503: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory ( ACT ), known as the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) until 1938, is a federal territory of Australia. Canberra , the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, and serves as the territory's primate city . It is located in southeastern Australian mainland as an enclave within
1222-405: Is a larger catchment area and due to recent drought conditions the Queanbeyan River has been seen as obsolete in comparison. Comprising three primary dams , the Cotter River System has been a reliable water source despite low precipitation and high temperatures experienced in the Australian Capital Territory in the past decade. This New South Wales river or creek related article
1316-632: Is a locality to the south-west of Canberra that features the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex , operated by the United States' NASA as part of its Deep Space Network . The Southern Tablelands Temperate Grassland straddles the state. The territory includes a large range of mountains, rivers and creeks, largely contained within the Namadgi National Park . These include
1410-454: Is common in the winter months. Snow is rare in Canberra's city centre, but the surrounding areas get annual snowfall through winter and often the snow-capped mountains can be seen from the city. The last significant snowfall in the city centre was in 1968. Smoke haze became synonymous with the 2019/2020 Australian summer. On 1 January 2020 Canberra had the worst air quality of any major city in
1504-821: Is home to the National Computational Infrastructure National Facility and was a co-founder of NICTA , the chief information and communications technology research centre in Australia. Research groups in the college include Algorithms and Data, Applied Signal Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Computer Systems, Computer Vision and Robotics, Data-Intensive Computing, Information and Human Centred Computing, Logic & Computation, Materials and Manufacturing, Semiconductor and Solar Cells, Software Intensive Systems Engineering, Solar Thermal Group, and Systems and Control. Disciplinary areas include theories, operations and research in engineering applications, with
1598-678: Is roughly bisected by Sullivans Creek , part of the Murray–Darling basin , and is bordered by the native bushland of Black Mountain , Lake Burley Griffin , the suburb of Turner and the Canberra central business district . Many university sites are of historical significance dating from the establishment of the national capital, with over 40 buildings recognised by the Commonwealth Heritage List and several others on local lists. With over 10,000 trees on its campus, ANU won an International Sustainable Campus Network Award in 2009 and
1692-816: Is the equivalent of a State Premier and sits on the National Cabinet. Unlike the States and the Northern Territory, there is no vice-regal representative who chairs the Executive. The Chief Minister performs many of the roles that a state governor normally holds in the context of a state; however, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly gazettes the laws and summons meetings of the Assembly. The ACT Labor party has held Government since 2001. The legislative power of
1786-518: Is well known for its history of student activism and, in recent years, its fossil fuel divestment campaign , which is one of the longest-running and most successful in the country. The decision of the ANU Council to divest from two fossil fuel companies in 2014 was criticised by ministers in the Abbott government , but defended by Vice Chancellor Ian Young, who noted: On divestment, it is clear we were in
1880-518: The ANU Library , the Menzies and Chifley buildings, opened in 1963. The Australian Forestry School, located in Canberra since 1927, was amalgamated by ANU in 1965. Canberra University College (CUC) was the first institution of higher education in the national capital, having been established in 1929 and enrolling its first undergraduate pupils in 1930. Its founding was led by Sir Robert Garran , one of
1974-645: The Acton Peninsula . Moore formally purchased the site in 1826 and named the property Canberry or Canberra . A significant influx of population and economic activity occurred around the 1850s gold rushes . The gold rushes prompted the establishment of communication between Sydney and the region by way of the Cobb & Co coaches, which transported mail and passengers. The first post offices opened in Ginninderra in 1859 and at Lanyon in 1860. During colonial times,
SECTION 20
#17328551139572068-720: The Australian Defence Force Academy and the Australian War Memorial . It also hosts the majority of foreign embassies in Australia, as well as regional headquarters of many international organisations, not-for-profit groups, lobbying groups and professional associations. Several major universities also have campuses in the ACT, including the Australian National University , the University of Canberra ,
2162-595: The Black Mountain Sandstone formation and the Pittman Formation consisting largely of quartz -rich sandstone , siltstone and shale . These formations became exposed when the ocean floor was raised by a major volcanic activity in the Devonian forming much of the east coast of Australia. The environments range from alpine area on the higher mountains, to sclerophyll forest and to woodland . Much of
2256-700: The Canberra bushfires largely destroyed the Mount Stromlo Observatory . ANU astronomers now conduct research from the Siding Spring Observatory , which contains 10 telescopes including the Anglo-Australian Telescope . In February 2013, financial entrepreneur and ANU graduate Graham Tuckwell made the largest university donation in Australian history by giving $ 50 million to fund an undergraduate scholarship program at ANU. ANU
2350-1174: The East Asian Bureau of Economic Research , the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, the ANU National Security College, the East Asia Forum publication and a number of other centres. The Crawford School of Public Policy also hosts offices and programs for the Australia and New Zealand School of Government . Many high performing Year in Asia program students gain the opportunity to travel to an Asian country of their choosing to study for one year specializing in one Asian language. The college also has affiliation with Indiana University 's Pan Asia Institute. The ANU College of Business and Economics comprises four schools, which carry research and teaching in economics , finance , accounting , actuarial studies , statistics , marketing and management : Dedicated research centres within these schools include
2444-614: The Federal Capital Advisory Committee was established in 1920 to advise the government of the construction efforts. The committee had limited success meeting its goals. However, the chairman, John Sulman , was instrumental in applying the ideas of the garden city movement to Griffin's plan. The committee was replaced in 1925 by the Federal Capital Commission . In 1930, the ACT Advisory Council
2538-482: The Flora of Australia and include well known plants such as Grevillea , Eucalyptus trees and kangaroo grass . The native forest in the Australian Capital Territory was almost wholly eucalypt species and provided a resource for fuel and domestic purposes. By the early 1960s, logging had depleted the eucalypt, and concern about water quality led to the forests being closed. Interest in forestry began in 1915 with trials of
2632-539: The Goulburn plains. While working on the project, Charles Throsby learned of a nearby lake and river from the local Indigenous peoples and he accordingly sent Wild to lead a small party to investigate the site. The search was unsuccessful, but they did discover the Yass River , and it is surmised that they would have set foot on part of the future territory. A second expedition was mounted shortly thereafter, and they became
2726-843: The Jervis Bay Territory ) and covers a total land area of 2,358 km (910 sq mi), slightly smaller than Luxembourg. It is bounded by the Bombala railway line in the east, the watershed of Naas Creek in the south, the watershed of the Cotter River in the west and the watershed of the Molonglo River in the north-east. These boundaries were set to give the ACT an adequate water supply. The ACT extends about 88.5 km (55.0 mi) north-south between 35.124°S and 35.921°S, and 57.75 km (35.88 mi) west-east between 148.763°E and 149.399°E. The city area of Canberra occupies
2820-496: The Köppen-Geiger classification , the territory has an oceanic climate ( Cfb ). January is the hottest month with an average high of 27.7 °C. July is the coldest month when the average high drops to 11.2 °C (52.2 °F). The highest maximum temperature recorded in the territory was 44.0 °C on 4 January 2020. The lowest minimum temperature was −10.0 °C on 11 July 1971. Rainfall varies significantly across
2914-538: The Manhattan Project ), and Sir Keith Hancock (the Chichele Professor of Economic History at Oxford ). The group also included a New Zealander, Sir Raymond Firth (a professor of anthropology at LSE ), who had earlier worked in Australia for some years. Economist Sir Douglas Copland was appointed as ANU's first Vice-Chancellor and former Prime Minister Stanley Bruce served as the first Chancellor. ANU
Cotter River System - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-554: The National Capital Planning and Development Committee was replaced by the National Capital Development Commission in 1957. The National Capital Development Commission ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin and construction was completed in 1964 after four years of work. The completion of the centrepiece of Griffin's design finally laid the platform for
3102-592: The National Museum of Australia and CSIRO are situated next to the campus. ANU occupies additional locations including Mount Stromlo Observatory on the outskirts of Canberra, Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran , a campus at Kioloa on the South Coast of New South Wales and a research unit in Darwin . The Drill Hall Gallery is housed a drill hall dating from the 1940s, for use in training soldiers for
3196-588: The Premier of New South Wales , who argued that locating the future capital in New South Wales would be sufficient to ensure the passage of the Bill. The 1899 referendum on this revised bill was successful and passed with sufficient numbers. Section 125 of the Australian Constitution thus provided that, following Federation in 1901, land would be ceded freely to the new federal government . This, however, left open
3290-518: The Second World War , and as base for 3rd Battalion, Werriwa Regiment . The interior was remodelled to create an art gallery in 1984, and in 2004 the building was heritage-listed . Temporary exhibitions of the national collection were held in the hall while the National Gallery of Australia was being built. ANU took over the hall in 1992 to exhibit its own collection of artworks, and also as
3384-480: The University of Copenhagen and Trinity College Dublin in Europe. In 2017, Chinese hackers infiltrated the computers of Australian National University, potentially compromising national security research conducted at the university. The main campus of ANU extends across the Canberra suburb of Acton , which consists of 358 acres (1.45 km ) of mostly parkland with university buildings landscaped within. ANU
3478-674: The University of New South Wales , Charles Sturt University and the Australian Catholic University . A locally elected legislative assembly has governed the territory since 1988. However, the Commonwealth maintains authority over the territory and may overturn local laws. It still maintains control over the area known as the Parliamentary Triangle through the National Capital Authority . Residents of
3572-427: The 19th century. In 1898, a referendum on a proposed Constitution was held in four of the colonies – New South Wales , South Australia , Tasmania , and Victoria . Although the referendum achieved a majority in all four colonies, the New South Wales referendum failed to gain the minimum number of votes needed for the bill to pass. Following this result, a meeting of the four Premiers in 1898 heard from George Reid ,
3666-420: The ACT has been cleared for grazing and is also burnt off by bushfires several times per century. The kinds of plants can be grouped into vascular plants , that include gymnosperms , flowering plants, and ferns , as well as bryophytes , lichens , fungi and freshwater algae . Four flowering plants are endemic to the ACT. Several lichens are unique to the territory. Most plants in the ACT are characteristic of
3760-416: The ACT is also higher than the national average. Within the ACT, 37.1% of the population hold a bachelor's degree level or above education compared to the national figure of 20%. The Australian Capital Territory had the equal fourth highest Human Development Index score (0.976) out of over 1,700 subnational regions in 2022, coming close to a perfect score of 1. Indigenous Australians have long inhabited
3854-540: The ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods. RSHA contains schools of Archaeology and Anthropology ; Art & Design ; and Literature , Languages and Linguistics , the latter of which include departments focusing on Linguistics & Applied Linguistics; English, Screen, Drama & Gender Studies; Languages & Cultures, and Classical Studies. RSHA also houses the ANU School of Music . In 2017, ANU ranked 6th in
Cotter River System - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-643: The ANU reported being sexually assaulted in 2016. Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt apologised to victims of sexual assault and harassment. The ANU had funding and staff cuts in the School of Music in 2011–15 and in the School of Culture, History and Language in 2016. However, there is a range of global (governmental) endowments available for Arts and Social Sciences, designated only for ANU. Some courses are now delivered online. ANU has exchange agreements in place for its students with many foreign universities, most notably in
4042-867: The Actuaries Institute Australia, the Institute of Public Accountants , the Association of International Accountants , the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and the Statistical Society of Australia Inc. It also has membership of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The ANU College of Engineering, Computing, and Cybernetics is divided into three Research Schools, which study a range of engineering , computer science , and cybernetics topics, respectively. ANU
4136-541: The Asia-Pacific region, including the National University of Singapore , the University of Tokyo , the University of Hong Kong , Peking University , Tsinghua University and Seoul National University . In other regions, notable universities include Université Paris Sciences et Lettres the George Washington University , the University of California , the University of Texas , the University of Toronto in North America and Imperial College London , King's College London , Sciences Po , ETH Zürich , Bocconi University ,
4230-473: The Drill Hall Gallery. ANU is governed by a 15-member Council, whose members include the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor . Gareth Evans , a former Foreign Minister of Australia , was ANU Chancellor from 2010 to December 2019 and Brian Schmidt , an astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate, served as Vice-Chancellor from 1 January 2016 to 1 January 2024. Evans was succeeded as Chancellor by a fellow former Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop , in January 2020. Schmidt
4324-425: The European communities of Ginninderra, Molonglo and Tuggeranong settled and farmed the surrounding land. The region was also called the Queanbeyan - Yass district, after the two largest towns in the area. The villages of Ginninderra and Tharwa developed to service the local agrarian communities. During the first 20 years of settlement, there was only limited contact between the settlers and Aboriginal people. Over
4418-478: The Naas and Murrumbidgee Rivers. In September 2022, it was announced that the border between NSW and the ACT would change for the first time since it was created in 1911. ACT chief minister Andrew Barr said NSW premier Dominic Perrottet had agreed to a proposed border change of 330 ha (1.3 sq mi) in the Ginninderra watershed. The territory has a relatively dry, continental climate, experiencing warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Under
4512-436: The Pacific, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The college hosts a series annual and biannual updates, on various regions in the Asia-Pacific. The Crawford School of Public Policy houses the Asia Pacific Arndt-Cohen Department of Economics, the Asia Pacific Network for Environmental Governance, the Australia-Japan Research Centre, The Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament,
4606-450: The Pacific; and the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet, formerly the Regulatory Institutions Network), study of regulation and governance. The college also houses the Australian Centre on China in the World, the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre , and the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific , Australia. It has dedicated regional institutes for China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar,
4700-523: The Public Awareness of Science . Under the direction of Mark Oliphant , nuclear physics was one of the university's most notable early research priorities, leading to the construction of a 500 megajoule homopolar generator and a 7.7 megaelectronvolts cyclotron in the 1950s. These devices were to be used as part of a 10.6 gigaelectronvolt synchrotron particle accelerator that was never completed, however they remained in use for other research purposes. ANU has been home to eight particle accelerators over
4794-435: The Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) and Research School of Humanities and the Arts (RSHA). Within RSSS there are schools and centres dedicated to History , Philosophy , Sociology , Politics & International Relations , Demography , Arab and Islamic Studies, and European Studies , as well as the Australian National Centre for Latin and American Studies, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, and
SECTION 50
#17328551139574888-414: The Social Policy Evaluation, Analysis and Research Centre; the Australian National Centre for Audit and Assurance Research; the ANU Centre for Economic History; the National Centre for Information Systems Research; and the ANU Centre for Economic Policy Research. The college is professionally accredited with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia , CPA Australia , the Australian Computer Society ,
4982-451: The States of Australia which have their own constitutions, territories like the ACT are governed under a Commonwealth statute —for the ACT, the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 . The Self-Government Act constitutes a democratic government for the Territory consisting of a popularly elected Legislative Assembly which elects a Chief Minister from among its membership who, in turn, appoints an Executive consisting of
5076-432: The Territory is vested in the unicameral Legislative Assembly . The Assembly consists of 25 members who are elected from five electorates using the Hare-Clark single transferable voting system. The Assembly is presided over by the Speaker (currently the Labor Party's Joy Burch ). The Assembly has almost all of the same powers as the state parliaments, the power to "make laws for the peace, order, and good government of
5170-461: The Territory", with limited exceptions relating to the Territory's unique relationship with the Commonwealth. The Hare-Clark voting system was adopted after a referendum in 1992 and was entrenched by another referendum in 1995. The electoral system cannot be changed except by a two-thirds majority in the Assembly or a majority vote of support at a public referendum. Australian National University The Australian National University ( ANU )
5264-452: The US Financial Direct Loan program. The RG Menzies Scholarship to Harvard University is awarded annually to at least one talented Australian who has gained admission to a Harvard graduate school. ANU and University of Melbourne are the only two Australian partner universities of Yale University 's Fox Fellowship program. ANU has exchange partnership with Yale University , Brown University , MIT and Oxford University , and ANU has
5358-425: The abolition of the National Capital Development Commission and the formation of a locally elected government. Punch recommended that the Hawke government accept the report's recommendations and subsequently Clyde Holding introduced legislation to grant self-government to the territory in October 1988. The enactment on 6 December 1988 of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 established
5452-401: The area. Evidence indicates habitation dating back at least 25,000 years, and it is possible that the area was inhabited for considerably longer, with evidence of an Aboriginal presence at Lake Mungo dating back around 40,000–62,000 years. The principal group occupying the region were the Ngunnawal people , with the Ngarigo and Walgalu living immediately to the south, the Wandadian to
5546-409: The committee. During this time, Prime Minister Robert Menzies regarded the state of the national capital as an embarrassment. After World War II, there was a shortage of housing and office space in Canberra. A Senate Select Committee hearing was held in 1954 to address its development requirements. This Committee recommended the creation of a single planning body with executive power. Consequently,
5640-405: The development of Griffin's Parliamentary Triangle . In 1978, an advisory referendum was held to determine the views of ACT citizens about whether there should be self-government. Just under 64 percent of voters rejected devolved government options, in favour of the status quo. Nevertheless, in 1988, the new minister for the Australian Capital Territory Gary Punch received a report recommending
5734-560: The drafters of the Australian Constitution and the first Solicitor-General of Australia . CUC was affiliated with the University of Melbourne and its degrees were granted by that university. Academic leaders at CUC included historian Manning Clark , political scientist Finlay Crisp , poet A. D. Hope and economist Heinz Arndt . In 1960, CUC was integrated into ANU as the School of General Studies, initially with faculties in arts, economics, law and science. Faculties in Oriental studies and engineering were introduced later. Bruce Hall,
SECTION 60
#17328551139575828-420: The east, the Gandangara to the north and the Wiradjuri to the north-west. Following European settlement, the growth of the new colony of New South Wales led to an increasing demand for arable land . Governor Lachlan Macquarie supported expeditions to open up new lands to the south of Sydney . The 1820s saw further exploration in the Canberra area associated with the construction of a road from Sydney to
5922-438: The emphasis on energy source. The ANU College of Law comprises the ANU Law School and ANU School of Legal Practice. The college covers legal research and teaching, with centres dedicated to commercial law , international law , public law and environmental law . In addition to numerous research programs, the college offers the professional LL.B. and J.D. degrees. It is the 7th oldest of Australia's 36 law schools and
6016-417: The first Europeans to camp at the Molonglo (Ngambri) and Queanbeyan (Jullergung) Rivers. However, they failed to find the Murrumbidgee River . The issue of the Murrumbidgee was solved in 1821 when Throsby mounted a third expedition and successfully reached the watercourse, on the way providing the first detailed account of the land where the Australian Capital Territory now resides. The last expedition in
6110-402: The first residential college for undergraduates, opened in 1961. The Canberra School of Music and the Canberra School of Art combined in 1988 to form the Canberra Institute of the Arts , and amalgamated with the university as the ANU Institute of the Arts in 1992. ANU established its Medical School in 2002, after obtaining federal government approval in 2000. On 18 January 2003,
6204-436: The framework for self-government. The first election for the 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on 4 March 1989. The initial years of self-government were difficult and unstable. A majority of ACT residents had opposed self-government and had it imposed upon them by the federal parliament. At the first election, 4 of the 17 seats were won by anti-self-government single-issue parties due to
6298-517: The ideas of 19th-century American economist Henry George , leaseholders had to pay 5% of the unimproved value of the underlying land in rent until the Gorton government abolished it in 1970. In 1911, an international competition to design the future capital was held; it was won by the Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin in 1912. The official naming of Canberra occurred on 12 March 1913 and construction began immediately. After Griffin's departure following difficulty in implementing his project,
6392-434: The largest collections of experts in these fields of any university in the English-speaking world. The college is home to four academic schools: the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy , a research intensive public policy school; the School of Culture, History and Language, for studies of Asia-Pacific people and languages; the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs , covering politics and international affairs of Asia and
6486-419: The laws of the Australian Capital Territory apply as if Jervis Bay did form part of the ACT. The territory has a relatively dry, continental climate, experiencing warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. The Australian Capital Territory is home to many important institutions of the federal government, national monuments and museums. These include the Parliament of Australia , the High Court of Australia ,
6580-401: The new federal government . Following discussion and exploration of various areas within New South Wales, the Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed in 1908 which specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region. The territory was transferred to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911, two years prior to the capital city being founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913. While
6674-442: The north-eastern corner of this area. The Australian Capital Territory includes the city of Canberra and some towns such as Williamsdale , Oaks Estate , Uriarra Village , Tharwa and Hall . The Australian Capital Territory also contains agricultural land ( sheep , dairy cattle , vineyards and small amounts of crops) and a large area of national park ( Namadgi National Park ), much of it mountainous and forested. Tidbinbilla
6768-415: The overwhelming majority of the population resides in the city of Canberra in the ACT's north-east, the territory also includes some towns such as Williamsdale , Oaks Estate , Uriarra , Tharwa and Hall . The ACT also includes the Namadgi National Park , which comprises the majority of land area of the territory. Despite a common misconception, the Jervis Bay Territory is not part of the ACT, although
6862-449: The question of where to locate the capital. In 1906 and after significant deliberations, New South Wales agreed to cede sufficient land on the condition that it was in the Yass - Canberra region, this site being closer to Sydney. Initially, Dalgety, New South Wales remained at the forefront, but Yass-Canberra prevailed after voting by federal representatives. The Seat of Government Act 1908
6956-458: The region before settlement was undertaken by Allan Cunningham in 1824. He reported that the region was suitable for grazing and the settlement of the Limestone Plains followed immediately thereafter. The first land grant in the region was made to Joshua John Moore in 1823, and European settlement in the area began in 1824 with the construction of a homestead by his stockmen on what is now
7050-506: The right and played a truly national and international leadership role. [...] [W]e seem to have played a major role in a movement which now seems unstoppable. As of 2014 ANU holds investments in major fossil fuel companies. A survey conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2017 found that the ANU had the second-highest incidence of sexual assault and sexual harassment. 3.5 per cent of respondents from
7144-545: The state of New South Wales . Founded after Federation as the seat of government for the new nation, the territory hosts the headquarters of all important institutions of the Australian Government , most notably Parliament House . On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies of Australia was achieved. Section 125 of the new Australian Constitution provided that land, situated in New South Wales and at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney , would be ceded to
7238-455: The succeeding years, the Ngunnawal and other local indigenous people effectively ceased to exist as cohesive and independent communities adhering to their traditional ways of life. Those who had not succumbed to disease and other predations either dispersed to the local settlements or were relocated to more distant Aboriginal reserves set up by the New South Wales government in the latter part of
7332-458: The territory elect three members of the House of Representatives and two senators . With 453,324 residents, the Australian Capital Territory is the second smallest mainland state or territory by population. At the 2016 census , the median weekly income for people in the territory aged over 15 was $ 998, significantly higher than the national median of $ 662. The average level of degree qualification in
7426-426: The territory. Much higher rainfall occurs in the mountains to the west of Canberra compared to the east. The mountains act as a barrier during winter with the city receiving less rainfall. Average annual rainfall in the territory is 629mm and there is an average of 108 rain days annually. The wettest month is October, with an average rainfall of 65.3mm, and the driest month is June, with an average of 39.6mm. Frost
7520-595: The time, these were the oldest fossils discovered in Australia, though this record has now been far surpassed. Other specific geological places of interest include the State Circle cutting and the Deakin anticline . The oldest rocks in the ACT date from the Ordovician around 480 million years ago. During this period the region along with most of Eastern Australia was part of the ocean floor; formations from this period include
7614-655: The university was disrupted by World War II but resumed with the creation of the Department of Post-War Reconstruction in 1942, ultimately leading to the passage of the Australian National University Act 1946 by the Chifley government on 1 August 1946. A group of eminent Australian scholars returned from overseas to join the university, including Sir Howard Florey (co-developer of medicinal penicillin ), Sir Mark Oliphant (a nuclear physicist who worked on
7708-423: The world for linguistics . A 2023 study by Times Higher Education reported that ANU was the world's 27th (first in Australia) most international university. In the 2022 Times Higher Education Global Employability University Ranking, an annual ranking of university graduates' employability, ANU was ranked 35th in the world (first in Australia). Australian National University Students' Association (ANUSA)
7802-532: The world for politics, 8th in the world for Social Policy and Administration and 11th in the world for development studies. The college is also home to the Australian Studies Institute. The college's School of Philosophy houses the ANU Centre for Consciousness, ANU Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences, and ANU Centre for Moral, Social and Political Theory, an organization whose purpose is to "become
7896-614: The world, with an AQI of 7700 (USAQI 949). source 2 = Special climate statements and climate summaries for more recent extremes Notable geological formations in the Australian Capital Territory include the Canberra Formation , the Pittman Formation , Black Mountain Sandstone and State Circle Shale . In the 1840s fossils of brachiopods and trilobites from the Silurian period were discovered at Woolshed Creek near Duntroon . At
7990-598: The years and operates the 14UD and LINAS accelerators. Brian Schmidt (astrophysicist at Mount Stromlo Observatory ) received the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on the accelerating expansion of the universe. At the end of 2018, ANU recorded an endowment of A$ 1.8 billion. ANU is a member of the Group of Eight , Association of Pacific Rim Universities , the International Alliance of Research Universities , UNESCO Chairs , U7 Alliance, Winter Institute. and Global Scholars Program. ANU participates in
8084-428: Was established in 1929 and was integrated into ANU in 1960. ANU enrols 13,329 undergraduate and 11,021 postgraduate students and employs 4,517 staff. The university's endowment stood at A$ 1.8 billion as of 2018. ANU counts six Nobel laureates and 49 Rhodes scholars among its faculty and alumni . The university has educated the incumbent Governor-General of Australia , two former prime ministers , and more than
8178-558: Was established in 1948 as a result of the vision of Nobel laureate Howard Florey . Three further Nobel Prizes have been won as a result of research at JCSMR—in 1963 by John Eccles and in 1996 by Peter Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel . The ANU College of Science comprises the Research Schools of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Physics ; Fenner School of Environment and Society; Mathematical Sciences Institute; and Australian National Centre for
8272-469: Was established to advise the minister for territories on the community's concerns. In 1934, the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory was established. From 1938 to 1957, the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra. However, it did not have executive power, and decisions were made on the development of Canberra without consulting
8366-474: Was originally organised into four centres—the Research Schools of Physical Sciences, Social Sciences and Pacific Studies and the John Curtin School of Medical Research . The first residents' hall, University House , was opened in 1954 for faculty members and postgraduate students. Mount Stromlo Observatory , established by the federal government in 1924, became part of ANU in 1957. The first locations of
8460-471: Was passed in 1908, which repealed the 1904 Act and specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region. Government surveyor Charles Scrivener was deployed to the region in the same year to map out a specific site and, after an extensive search, settled upon the present location, basing the borders primarily on the need to secure a stable water supply for the planned capital. The Australian Capital Territory
8554-494: Was ranked 2nd among Australian and 12th among world law schools by the 2018 QS Rankings . Students are given the chance to spend three weeks in Geneva concerning the institutional practice of International Law. The ANU College of Health & Medicine encompasses the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), ANU Medical School , National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, and Research School of Psychology. JCSMR
8648-835: Was ranked the 2nd greenest university campus in Australia in 2011. Four of Australia's five learned societies are based at ANU—the Australian Academy of Science , the Australian Academy of the Humanities , the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of Law. The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and the National Film and Sound Archive are also located at ANU, while
8742-501: Was succeeded as Vice-Chancellor by cultural anthropologist and Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell in January 2024. ANU was reorganised in 2006 to create seven Colleges, each of which leads both teaching and research. Additional restructuring occurred in 2017, resulting in changes to the names and schools within the Colleges. The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences is divided into
8836-436: Was transferred to the Commonwealth by New South Wales on 1 January 1911, two years before the naming of Canberra as the national capital on 20 March 1913. The Commonwealth gained control of all land within the borders of the new territory but ownership only of NSW Crown land, with significant parcels of extant freehold remaining in the hands of their pre-existing owners. Much of this was acquired during World War One , though
#956043