Editing Jervis Bay Territory (section)

== History ==
[[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal Australian]] people long lived over the area of [[Jervis Bay]].<ref name="Our Culture">{{cite web|title=Our Culture|url=https://parksaustralia.gov.au/booderee/people/culture.html|archive-date=9 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909024536/https://parksaustralia.gov.au/booderee/discover/culture/|url-status=live|website=Parks Australia|access-date=13 October 2017}}</ref> The area underwent significant change 18,000 to 7,500 years ago when the sea level rose, displacing inhabitants of previously coastal areas, resulting in dramatic population redistribution. The [[Yuin]] people have a continuing connection to the Jervis Bay area and in December 2016, applied for recognition of their [[Native title in Australia|native title]].<ref>{{cite web|title=South Coast Native Title meeting at Narooma a big boost for Yuin people|url=http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/4352796/yuin-people-make-vast-south-coast-native-title-claim/|url-access=subscription|first=Stan|last=Gorton|website=South Coast Register|access-date=13 October 2017|date=13 December 2016}}</ref>

Jervis Bay was sighted by Lieutenant [[James Cook]] aboard {{HMS|Endeavour}} on 25 April 1770 (two days after [[Saint George's Day]]) and he named the southern headland Cape St George.<ref name="Reed">''Place Names of Australia'' (Reed, 1973).</ref><ref name=Crabb>{{cite book|title=Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin 1788–1939 : an emptied landscape|last=Crabb|first=Peter|year=2007|publisher=Lady Denman Heritage Complex|isbn=978-0958644730}}</ref> In August 1791, the British convict transport ship [[Atlantic (1783 ship)|''Atlantic'']] of the [[Third Fleet (Australia)|Third Fleet]] entered the bay and Lieutenant [[Richard Bowen (Royal Navy)|Richard Bowen]] named it in honour of [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|Admiral John Jervis]].<ref name="Reed" /><ref name=Crabb /> In November 1791, the {{ship||Matilda|1790 ship|2}}, under Master Matthew Weatherhead, entered the bay to undertake repairs.<ref name=Crabb />
Survivors of the [[Sydney Cove (1796 ship)|''Sydney Cove'']] shipwreck in 1797 reached the area by foot, heading to [[Port Jackson]].<ref name=Crabb /><ref>{{cite web|title=The Sydney Cove|url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=1736|publisher=[[Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service]]|access-date=31 August 2014|archive-date=8 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308112548/http://parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspX?base=1736|url-status=dead}}</ref> Explorer [[George Bass]] entered the bay on 10 December 1797. He named [[Bowen Island (Jervis Bay)|Bowen Island]].
[[John Oxley]], an English explorer and surveyor, travelled from Sydney by sea to explore the bay in 1819.<ref name=Crabb />
[[File:Cape St George historic.jpg|left|thumb|Settlers in the [[Jervis Bay Village]] in the late 19th century. The now ruined [[Cape St George Lighthouse]] can be seen in the background.]]

Negotiations for the [[Federation of Australia]] reached three major agreements for proposed federal territories.
* First, a federal capital, a new, purpose-built city, should be located within the borders of New South Wales (NSW).
* Second, to help ensure such location did not give NSW too much influence on federal politics, that the new city and surrounds would be [[enclave and exclave|exclaved]] from NSW, as a separate federal territory.
* Third, that the [[federalism in Australia|federal government]] should have direct control and [[jurisdiction]] over at least one port.

The site of the capital city was not decided until 1908. All of the seriously considered sites were substantial distances inland. Therefore, the capital and the port would be separate. Ownership of [[Crown land]] in the Jervis Bay area was transferred from the NSW government to the federal government in 1909 (at the same time that ownership of the site of Canberra and the surrounding area was also relinquished by NSW).<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|sogaa1909265|Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909}}</ref> In 1915, jurisdiction over the Jervis Bay Territory was transferred from the state of New South Wales to the federal Commonwealth of Australia.<ref name="auto"/> To reduce the practical difficulties presented by the physical separation of the two territories, {{citation needed span|the government of NSW also agreed, in principle, that the federal government could build and take full control of a proposed rail corridor between Canberra and Jervis Bay,|date=May 2022}} but this was never implemented.

The territory has been administered by various federal government's departments over the years, in turn:
* [[Department of the Interior (1939–1972)|Department of the Interior]]
* [[Department of the Capital Territory]] 
* [[Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories]] (1989–91)
* [[Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories]] (1991–93)
* [[Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories]] (1993–96)
* [[Department of Transport and Regional Development]] (1996–98)
* [[Department of Transport and Regional Services]] (1998–2007) 
* [[Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government]] (2007–10)
* [[Department of Infrastructure and Transport]] (2010–13)
* [[Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development]] (2013–17)
* [[Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities]] (2017–2019)
* [[Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development]] (2019–20)
* [[Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications]] (2020–22)
* [[Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts]] (since 2022).

=== Proposed nuclear reactor ===
{{Main|Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant proposal}}
[[File:Part of Murrays Beach Carpark December 2020.jpg|thumb|Murrays Beach carpark, originally cleared for the Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant project.]]
In 1969, Jervis Bay Territory was proposed as the site for a [[Nuclear power in Australia|nuclear power plant]] but the proposal was cancelled in 1971. An access road had been constructed to the site, on the southeast corner of the bay near [[Murrays Beach|Murray's Beach]] and the site excavated and levelled. The levelled site is now the car park for Murrays Beach and its adjacent boat ramp.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/jervis-bay-once-site-for-nuclear-proposal/11371296 |access-date=9 September 2024 |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |archive-date=9 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909030451/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/jervis-bay-once-site-for-nuclear-proposal/11371296 |url-status=live |first=Nick |last=McLaren |date=12 August 2019 |title=Nuclear reactor and steelworks plan once considered for pristine beaches of Jervis Bay}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/nuclear-power-for-australia-a-potted-history/ |access-date=9 September 2024 |archive-date=9 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909030845/https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/nuclear-power-for-australia-a-potted-history/ |url-status=live |date=31 August 2023 |first=Carl |last=Kitchen |publisher=Australian Energy Council |title=Nuclear power for Australia: A potted history}}</ref>