The ACT's chief minister will be officially overlooked no more after the Commonwealth table of precedence was updated following a Canberran's 12-year campaign to correct a long-running diplomatic snub.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Governor-General this week approved a new table, including the ACT chief minister for the first time since self government.
The Commonwealth table of precedence, which sets out the seniority of office holders from the governor-general, the prime minister, state and territory leaders, right through to knights, dames and judges, had not previously been updated since 1982.
The chief minister now follows the prime minister within the chief minister's territory in the official order, or after a jurisdiction's opposition leader
Terence Palmer had been regularly writing to ACT and Commonwealth officials about the table's oversight since June 2010.
"It's certainly satisfying to see in the end that persistence can pay off, I suppose, and I don't know why it took so long, but anyway, such is life," Mr Palmer said on Friday.
"It's just good that I don't have to annoy people [anymore]."
Then foreign minister Julie Bishop advised Mr Palmer in December 2014 changes would be gazetted in 2015, but no changes were made.
Ms Bishop also wrote that at no time since the first chief minister, Rosemary Follett, took office in 1989 had the ACT leader "not been accorded the same courtesies and precedence as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory or Norfolk Island".
MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:
Mr Palmer last year said it had been frustrating to receive promises that it was soon to be fixed, and then find the error remained and nothing appeared to be done about it.
"It's just something that's frustrating, that something as simple - and I acknowledge there are bigger problems in the world at the moment, but one person could resolve that," Mr Palmer said.
Mr Palmer, who emigrated to Australia from South Africa, became interested in the table of precedence when he was learning about Australia's system of government.
"I just thought I would let somebody know it was wrong," Mr Palmer said in 2015.
"When I picked up on it, it's something people said they would come back to me about. I forgot about it, and remembered every so often and sent another email or letter. I thought hell, I can't get any joy from anyone."
Chief Minister Andrew Barr thanked Mr Palmer for his long-running efforts to fix the table, which he said now reflected the lived experience.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
