The ACT has internal self-government, but Australia's Constitution does not afford the territory government the full legislative independence provided to Australian states. Government for the Australian Capital Territory is outlined in Commonwealth legislation; the Australian Capital Territory Act 1988. Nonetheless, the ACT is governed according to the principles of the Westminster System, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom. Legislative power rests with the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. Executive power rests formally with the Executive, which consists of the Chief Minister and Ministers, and is informally called the Cabinet. Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and a system of subordinate courts, but the High Court of Australia and other federal courts have overriding jurisdiction on matters which fall under the ambit of the Australian Constitution. The ACT does not have a separate system of local government such as that seen in the Australian States and the Northern Territory. In the ACT, government functions that would usually be handled by local government are instead directly handled by the Territory government.
Current Ministry
The current arrangement of the incumbent ministry of the ACT was appointed on 26 August 2019, comprising seven Labor Party members and one Greens member.
ACT Government Directorates
The ACT Government is served by a unified ACT Public Service agency, reporting to a single Head of Service. Administrative units, known as Directorates, are grouped under areas of portfolio responsibility. Each Directorate is led by a Director-General who reports to one or more Ministers. , there are seven Directorates:
Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate
Community Services Directorate
Education Directorate
Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate
Public Authorities and Territory Owned Corporations
The ACT Government also has a number of Public Authorities and Territory Owned Corporations:
ACT Building & Construction Industry Training Fund Board: providing funding for the training of eligible workers in the ACT building and construction industry.
ACT Teacher Quality Institute: an independent statutory authority established to build the professional standing of ACT teachers and to enhance the community’s confidence in the teaching profession through professional regulation and practical initiatives to raise teacher quality.
Icon Water Limited: providing drinking water and wastewater services to the ACT and surrounding regions.
EvoEnergy: owns and operates the ACT electricity and gas networks as well as gas networks in Queanbeyan and Palerang shires and Nowra.
Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission: a statutory body set up to regulate prices, access to infrastructure services and other matters in relation to regulated industries and to investigate competitive neutrality complaints and government-regulated activities. The ICRC also has responsibility for licensing utility services and ensuring compliance with licence conditions.
The following are officers of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly:
ACT Audit Office: responsible for the audit of all ACT public sector agencies.
ACT Electoral Commission: an independent statutory authority responsible for conducting elections and referendums for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.
