Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 237
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
Other inclusions are: minutes of meetings of the Monaro South
Coast Regional Development Committee of 28 October 1948; the
Liberal Party of Australia N.S.W. Division Research Bulletin N.S.W.
1/49 of 26 January 1949 New States in N.S.W. (which includes
sections on the history of New State agitation, the boundaries of
the proposed New States and the desirability of New States); an
extract from Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of
28 March 1950 concerning a petition from certain residents of the
New England area, including a printed copy of the petition
(representing that the New England area should be formed into a
separate state within the Commonwealth of Australia, and praying
that a referendum be held as soon as possible to ascertain the will
of the people within that area); New England New State Movement
transmitting results of a poll on the New England New State
conducted at local government elections on 5 December 1953;
copy of A Bill for an Act to enable the people of New England to
form a Constitution and a State Government and to seek
Admission as a State of the Commonwealth of Australia, prepared
by the Constituent Assembly of New England in 1955; Report from
the Joint Committee of the Legislative Council and Legislative
Assembly upon the Australian Constitution together with Minutes
of Proceedings of the Committee and Appendices, ordered to be
printed 6 November 1958; copy of New State for North
Queensland Movement Financial and Economic Aspects of new
States by Ulrich Ellis, May 1959; printed copy of New State of New
England (petition from residents of Northern New South Wales
praying that a new State of New England be created), received by
the Legislative Assembly 24 November 1959; case for review
submitted by the New England New State Movement to the
Constitution Review Committee of the Commonwealth Parliament,
with enclosures, 1962?; copy of petition on behalf of the New
England New State Movement signed by Dr P A Wright on
11 March 1963 presented to the Queen (transmitted to the
Governor from the Prime Minister's Department); and, a Manifesto
to Parliaments and the nation, transmitted by the Riverina New
State Movement concerning the defence situation in Australia,
January 1965.
A particularly interesting inclusion in [12/8752] is a letter dated
7 August 1956 from the New England New State Movement
forwarding the terms of a resolution unanimously carried at the
Convention held in Port Macquarie on 13-14 July 1956:
THAT as New England has reached far greater economic and
social maturity than had the original colony of New South Wales
when self-government was granted 100 years ago; AND as
there is incontrovertible evidence that a strong desire for selfgovernment exists, this Convention request the Government of
New South Wales to hold a referendum forthwith at which the
people of New England may express their opinion on the issue
as part of the current Centenary Celebrations.
The many delegates present at this Convention representing local
governing bodies from all parts of the proposed new State, and
numerous civic organisations functioning in that area "were
confident that the Parliament of this State would see fit to
celebrate the centenary of the attainment of responsible
government by holding a referendum on the new State question".
234
State Records Authority of New South Wales
