Ellicott remembered as the man who changed Canberra and 'revolutionised' sport

The political and sporting worlds are mourning the loss of the man who announced a referendum on self-government in the ACT and then years later devised the plan that led to the creation of the AIS.

The ACT is still reaping the benefits of the changes he worked to make.

The federal government is debating a bill to restore rights to the ACT and Northern Territory, while the AIS campus he helped come to life is planning a major refresh based on the foundations laid in 1981.

Ellicott has been described as a "remarkable figure" who shaped the ACT's history in his role as minister for the capital territory as a member of Malcolm Fraser's government in 1978.

The referendum on self-government initially failed, with 64 per cent of Canberrans voting to continue with the existing arrangement. But the debate continued and the ACT was granted self government a decade later.

"Bob Ellicott made a mark on Australia in so many different ways," said Labor MP Andrew Leigh.

"He helped shape the ACT's history, helped shape the law and politics. So to have served both as a federal court judge and in the parliament of Australia ... he's a pretty remarkable figure.

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"We're so fortunate to have had somebody who was willing to make such decisions of principle, sacrificing his own position for values. We have to recognise political courage when we see it."

At the same time as paving the way for self-government, Ellicott was also charged with shaping the future of Australian sport and ultimately worked with John Bloomfield to set up the AIS after the Montreal Olympic Games disaster in 1976.

Speaking in 2013, Ellicott said the creation of the AIS - a national high-performance sports facility - was one of his proudest achievements.

"I had a vision of a place where our athletes who are pursuing excellence could come, and have the best coaches, the best facilities and be able to enjoy not only the development of their capacity as athletes but also be able to pursue qualifications for life after sport," he said.

"How amazing it is, it all worked. Gradually it took off in full flight like a 747 on its first flight. By the end of the 80s, there it was ...That is one of the great privileges of my life."

The AIS has been criticised over the past decade for major changes to its operations and perceived move away from what it was initially set up to do, but swimming great and Australian Sports Commission chief executive Kieren Perkins is keen to get back to what worked.

Ellicott was inducted into the Australian sport Hall of Fame in 2016 alongside Libby Trickett, Jack Newton and Sharelle McMahon.

"Mr Ellicott's vision was revolutionary, with the one-of-a-kind AIS still renowned across the world," Perkins said.

Coaching guru Dick Telford was asked to be the head of sports science when the institute was opened in 1981.

"I didn't have much to do with Bob directly, but he was a delightful fellow who was always encouraging what we were doing and almost seemed in awe of it," Telford said.

"He really did want us to win gold medals because he felt that was going to help the Australian psyche.

"He wasn't thinking of himself, he was thinking about what it could do for Australia and he had his heart set on it. Bob started it all off."

Marathon legend Robert de Castella worked alongside Telford and went on to be come director of the AIS.

"If you look through the history of Australian sport, Bob was the one who turned the whole high-performance approach around," de Castella said.

"What he put in place was a complete revolution of our sporting system. In the mid 1970s and 80s, Australian sport took a club approach. He professionalised it, instigated the way to do it and woke up all of the national sporting organisations.

"He forced them to step up and change their perspective, and I hope that approach is still in place."

He has also been remembered by shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser as one of the greatest Attorneys-General Australia has produced, a man of principle and a "great defender" of the actions of Sir John Kerr and Sir Garfield Barwick in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam in 1975.

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