Really “Legislative”

[?]ied In Canberra's [?]on-Holes

[?]An To Make P-Ng’S Council

E present Legislative Council yill meet for the last time in tfay, this year. Its official life on August 31, and elections are ;ted sometime in the follow wo months. 1954, before the first Council to an end, a special committee set up to make a report on ■e composition and functions e Council. report was sent to Canberra b the 1954 P-NG election, but mstralian Government shortly vards went into its winter re and did not consider the re jefore the P-NG elections were The present Council there carried on as originally de i in 1950. ee more years have passed; in a few months, P-NG re ;s will again be asked to vote ae three elected members at it permitted. In those three the long and very able report ited by the Committee has a resting-place in Canberra; lot one word has been heard from the time it left Port by. lew session of the Common i Parliament is shortly to but disillusioned and cynical orians have long since dis l the possibility that Canberra still bring itself to consider moderate recommendations by the Committee, whereby Drians would have a little voice in their own govern s likely, therefore, that the Jry’s third post-war Council ;ain be a replica of what one Jr has frequently described as rifled debating society.” official excuse usually is that iidents of the Territory have t shown themselves politically )us, and that past voting indicate a state of civic s unlikely that Territorians iy more politically apathetic lainland Australians—most of would not bother to vote, unless legally compelled to the present system, under unofficial members remain

yphers in the Administration,

iave their most minor of ments to government legisla imped on by official members uncil, is not likely to en

courage even the most public spirited residents to show interest.

Until such time as P-NG can pay its own way, and not float along on an ocean of Australian tax

payers’ money, it perhaps is only right that the Administration should have the final decision in most aspects of government. But the present system of forcing all legislation, petty or important, through the Council, and entirely disregarding the opinion of Terri torians’ representatives, is more than due for overhaul.

The present bureaucratic control of this Territory does not produce a climate in which any political consciousness is likely to flourish.