Fact Boy and the Temple of Simpletons

Rat-a-tat-tat

"Cover me, I'm going in"

says FactBoy over the rattling din made by Error and Ignorance as they set about trashing all that is sacred and true.

Like an eloquent Rambo without the stroke-affected snarl he leaps and bounds, plundering the vaults of Knowledge single-handed and returns, unharmed, learned, uncoiling his Facts to lasoo ynweildly Ignorance and bitch-slap him until he cries, forcing lazy Error to run away shrieking and snivelling.

FACT:

-In 1901 the six self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, unite in a federation, creating the Commonwealth of Australia. The birth of a nation.

-Until its incorporation in the Commonwealth in 1911, the Northern Territory was governed by South Australia, whereupon they cast off the shackles of their former administration by changing the name of Palmerston to Port Darwin, the now capital of the north.

-The Northern Territory is not a state it is a territory.

-This limits the role of the Northern Territory in referendums on matters of national importance. There is no constitutional guarantee, as there is with the six founding states, of any consultation.

-The six founding state's laws are protected by the constitution. Any laws made by the Northern Territory Parliament can be removed by Canberra.

-All original states have the same number of Senators in the federal parliament - 12.

-The Northern Territory had no representation until 1974, when they were give 2 Senate seats - this has been twice challenged, unsuccesfully, by the founding states.

-There is no constitutional guarantee the Northern Territory will retain their two seats, or any, for that matter.

-State Senators serve a term of 6 years. Territory Senators 3.

-There are 150 members of the Australian House of Representatives. The constitution guarantees all original states at least 5 Members. Beyond this it depends on the population of the state. New South Wales has 49 Members of the House of Representatives (MHRs), Tasmania 5.

-The Northern Territory has 2 MHRs, and no guarantee of any.

-In a 1998 vote on the issue of Statehood, 51.3% of Territorians voted against it, preferring to remain a Territory.


Addendum Fact to the Preceeding

-Canberra was founded as a purpose built capital, replacing the former, officially unofficial capital Melbourne in 1913, largelly to quell the heated debate between Melbourne and Sydney as to which one of them was most deserved of the honour.

-'Canberra' comes from the Aboriginal word 'canberry' meaning either a 'meeting place' or 'a pair of womens breasts'.


FactBoy, like the wind, disappears into the ethersphere.

Until Next Time valued Fact Finders!

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