The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia enacted on 6 December 1988, that establishes ‘a body politic under the Crown by the name of the Australian Capital Territory’ and is the Territory’s constitutional foundation.
From 1930 the ACT was administered by the ACT Advisory Council and the Minister for Territories and from 1934 had its own Supreme Court. In 1974 this council became a fully elected Legislative Assembly, advising the Department of the Capital Territory and in 1979 this became a House of Assembly of 18 elected members. Despite a 1978 referendum where Canberrans rejected self-government by 63% of the vote, the sitting ACT Assembly was dissolved in 1986, and in December 1988, the ACT was granted full self-government
Following the establishment of self-government in the ACT the first elections were held in February 1989.