History of Sydney
From 1788 to 1900 Sydney was the capital of the British colony of New South Wales. An elected city council was established in 1840. In 1900, Sydney became a state capital, when New South Wales voted to join the Australian Federation. Sydney today is Australia's largest city and a major international capital of culture and finance. The city has played host to many international events, including the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Seat of Government Act 1908
The act repealed the earlier "Seat of Government Act 1904" which had previously selected a site at Dalgety for the new capital. The actual creation of the Federal Capital Territory (now Australian Capital Territory) did not occur until after Charles Robert Scrivener had surveyed the area and defined a potential border. The "Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909" and "Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909" transferred the land from the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth to create the territory. The new territory's laws were created through the "Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910".