Hawke feared left-leaning ACT Labor Government: study
Ross Peake A previously unpublished study reveals former Prime Minister Bob Hawke was concerned that granting self-government in the ACT could result in the election of a left-leaning Labor Government.
Gungahlin the best connected town in ACT
Ross Peake More than 14,000 Gungahlin households are about to be connected to the national broadband network.
ACT leads nation in housing
Ross Peake The ACT has the nation's strongest housing construction but the softer job market could have knock-on effects.
Convoy for Canberra back on the road
Ross Peake The Convoy for Cancer is returning to Canberra, assembling hundreds of trucks to delight spectators, but is set to irritate Queanbeyan by snubbing that city.
Cabinet Papers: 1984-85
Insider's view to founding of self-rule
Ross Peake and Peter Jean Cutting costs rather than granting democracy was the principal motive for establishing self-government in the ACT, according to the territory's first Labor senator, Susan Ryan.
Cabinet Papers: 1984-85
Ministers braced for anger over closures
Ross Peake In April 1985 federal ministers considered closing Watson High School and three primary schools, along with increasing class sizes and reducing ancillary staff in ACT government schools.
Cabinet Papers: 1984-85
MPs nearly forced into cheap seats
Peter Jean and Ross Peake Cost overruns and other problems threatened to delay the opening of the New Parliament House beyond the Bicentennial year and to force MPs to accept cheaper than previously planned furniture, the...
Cabinet Papers: 1984-85
We could have had a 'Lord Mayor of Canberra'
Ross Peake, Peter Jean The ceremonial title ‘‘Lord Mayor of Canberra’’ was once formally considered for the Chief Minister as the Hawke Government considered how to grant self-government to the ACT.
Budget U-turn eases job-cut fears
Ross Peake The public service is hoping the pressure for job cuts will ease after the government's ditched its promise to deliver a budget surplus.
Gungahlin in broadband superfast lane
Ross Peake Superfast broadband has finally arrived in Gungahlin.
ACT MP influencing US commentator on gun control
Ross Peake Research on gun control by the ACT's Andrew Leigh is being quoted in the United States after the latest mass shooting there claimed the lives of 26 people including school children.
ACT cops get federal tick of approval
Ross Peake The Australian Federal Police's law enforcement in the ACT has been given a tick by the Auditor-General.
Top bureaucrats awarded pay boost
Ross Peake The salary package of the Australian Federal Police commissioner will jump by $100,000 to $650,000 after a review of the roles of senior bureaucrats.
Anzac centenary Nelson's top priority for AWM
Ross Peake Brendan Nelson is promising to deliver value for money in his new role as director of the Australian War Museum.
Role of honour for Nelson
Ross Peake Brendan Nelson's newly-printed business card says a lot about the new boss at the Australian War Memorial.
Leigh's day trip to the deep. deep south
Ross Peake ACT Labor’s Andrew Leigh is on a high after a lightning trip to Antarctica.
Boer War, peacekeeper memorial get fundraising boost
Ross Peake The federal government has finally bowed to a long-running campaign to make it easier to raise funds for memorials in Canberra to honour Boer War soldiers and peacekeepers.
MPs clash as pressure mounts for further cuts
Ross Peake Public servants are already cutting corners and making mistakes due to the pressure of work from job cuts, according to their union, amid reports of pressure for further cuts.
Green told to sit down over GetUp! candidate
Ross Peake A Greens member vying for preselection for the ACT Senate race has apparently been told not to criticise the candidate favoured by federal leader Christine Milne.
Disabled are 'second-class citizens'
By Ross Peake Chifley resident Maureen Caelli is the human face of a national report that says many people with multiple sclerosis are battling without essential aids such as wheelchairs.
