 The NSW government ceded the district to the federal government in 1911 and the Federal Capital Territory was established.An international design competition was launched by the Department of Home Affairs on 30 April 1911, closing on 31 January 1912.The competition was boycotted by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institution of Civil Engineers and their affiliated bodies throughout the British Empire because the Minister for Home Affairs King O'Malley insisted that the final decision was for him to make rather than an expert in city planning.