Community urged to reflect on significance of Proclamation Day

21/10/98

Today is Proclamation Day and Premier Richard Court has called on Western Australians to reflect on its importance to the development of the democratic process in Western Australia.

Mr Court said Proclamation Day should be important to all Western Australians because it commemorated the proclamation of the Constitutional Act of 1889 - the keystone of the democratic process in our State.

"It gave us a Legislative Assembly - the first fully elected Western Australian House of Parliament, and the right to elect representatives of the people to Parliament," he said.

To mark Proclamation Day 1998, the Constitutional Centre of WA will today host a special ceremony reflecting the activities of the inaugural Proclamation Day celebrations held on the Esplanade.

Mr Court said many Western Australians were not aware of the difficulties encountered by early colonials who sought self-government for WA.

"It took nearly 30 years of lobbying before the British Government finally agreed to an appeal for self-government," he said.

"On August 15, 1890 the Constitution Bill received Royal Assent and WA was granted responsible self-government.

"Public support for self-government had been fuelled by the fact that in 1889 WA remained the only colony in Australia to be denied the right to responsible self-government.

"It was not until October 21, 1890 that the then Governor Sir William Robinson arrived home from England and more than 6,000 people celebrated WA's inaugural Proclamation Day ceremony.

"The commitment and confidence which drove those early Western Australians to seek self-government should still inspires us today."

Mr Court said Proclamation Day was also an opportunity for young Western Australians to learn more about the early history of the State.

"It is a day when we can help our young people understand and in turn respect the gift of representative parliamentary democracy," he said.

People wanting to participate in the Proclamation Day celebrations will be able to watch the horse-drawn carriage carrying the Deputy Governor, Hon Justice Kennedy, and the Lord Mayor, Dr Nattrass, as it makes its way up St George's Terrace to Parliament House and then on to the Constitutional Centre between noon and 12.20 pm today.

Media contact : Bronwyn Hillman 9222 9475