The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
legislature of the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
of Australia. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in
single-member electorate
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vot ...
s for four-year terms. The voting method for the Assembly is the
full-preferential voting
One of the ways in which ranked voting systems vary is whether an individual vote must express a minimum number of preferences to avoid being considered invalid ("spoiled" or "informal"). Possibilities are:
* Full preferential voting (FPV) requir ...
system, having previously been
optional preferential voting
One of the ways in which ranked voting systems vary is whether an individual vote must express a minimum number of preferences to avoid being considered invalid ("spoiled" or "informal"). Possibilities are:
* Full preferential voting (FPV) requir ...
. Elections are on the fourth Saturday in August of the fourth year after the previous election, but can be earlier in the event of a
no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
vote in the
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
. The most recent election for the Legislative Assembly was the
2020 election held on 22 August 2020. The next election is scheduled for 24 August 2024.
Persons who are qualified under the ''
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
The ''Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918'' is an Act of the Australian Parliament which continues to be the core legislation governing the conduct of elections in Australia, having been amended on numerous occasions since 1918. The Act was introd ...
'' to vote for a member for the Northern Territory in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
are qualified to vote at an election for the Legislative Assembly. Voting is compulsory for all those over 18 years of age. Since 2004, elections have been conducted by the
Northern Territory Electoral Commission
The Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC) is an independent government agency of the Government of the Northern Territory with responsibility for the conduct of elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process ...
, which also organises regular electoral redistributions.
Current distribution of seats
, the current distribution of seats is:
One seat is vacant due to the death of
Lawrence Costa
Lawrence Costa (1969/1970 – 17 December 2022) was an Australian politician. He was the Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2016 until his death in 2022, representing the electorate of Arafura. He was of Tiwi des ...
on 18 December 2022.
* 13 votes as a majority are required to pass legislation.
Powers
In 1978, the Northern Territory was granted limited self-government by the
Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1974' (Cth), an act of the Australian federal parliament. The federal government retains control of certain legislative areas, including Aboriginal land, industrial relations, national parks and uranium mining. For inter-governmental financial purposes the Northern Territory has been regarded by the Commonwealth as a State since 1 July 1988.
All questions arising in the Assembly are determined by a majority of votes and the Speaker, or other member presiding, is also entitled to vote. Where there is an equality of votes the Speaker, or other member presiding, shall have a casting vote.
Legislation passed by the Assembly requires assent by the
Administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...
, acting on the advice of the Government, a practice analogous to the
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
of an Australian state governor. Under Australian constitutional practice, assent is usually a formality. After the Administrator gives assent, the
Governor-General of Australia also has the power to reject a law on the advice of the
Prime Minister of Australia and the federal Cabinet, but this power has also been only rarely exercised. The federal government also retains power to legislate for the Territory in all matters, including the right to override legislation passed by the Assembly.
The party or coalition with the most seats in the Assembly is invited by the Administrator to form government. The leader of that party subsequently becomes the
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier.
When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government was ...
, and their senior colleagues become ministers responsible for various portfolios. As Australian political parties traditionally vote along party lines, most legislation introduced by the party commanding a majority will pass through the Legislative Assembly.
History
The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974 by the ''Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1974'' (Cth), an act of the Australian federal parliament, which replaced the partly elected
Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly consisted of 19 fully elected members, but initially lacked significant powers, until limited self-government was granted in 1978. For the
1983 election, the number of members was increased to 25.
From its inception prior to the
1974 election until the
2001 election, the Legislative Assembly was controlled by the conservative
Country Liberal Party
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...
, which since 1979 has been affiliated with the federal
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
–
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
coalition. In 2001, the
Labor Party won a one-seat majority, and
Clare Martin
Clare Majella Martin (born 15 June 1952) is a former Australian journalist and politician. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995. She was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won ...
became the Territory's first Labor and first female chief minister. At the
2005 election, the Martin-led ALP won 19 seats to the CLP's 4; however, Martin resigned in 2007 and was succeeded by
Paul Henderson as ALP leader, and retained government with another one-seat majority at the
2008 election. Labor lost its majority when
Marion Scrymgour
Marion Rose Scrymgour (born 13 September 1960) is an Australian politician and the current MP for Lingiari. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012, representing the electorate of Arafura. She was th ...
went to the cross-benches as an independent. She re-joined the party after
Alison Anderson
Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson (born 28 January 1958) is an Australian politician.
She was member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly between 2005 and 2016, representing the electorate of Namatijra (known as MacDonnell until 2012). Cu ...
left the party to sit as an independent. Anderson joined the CLP in September 2011. The
2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
resulted in the return of the CLP under
Terry Mills with 16 seats to the ALP's 8. Mills resigned in 2013 and
Adam Giles
Adam Graham Giles (born 10 April 1973) is an Australian former politician and former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (2013–2016) as well as the former leader of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the unicameral Northern Territory P ...
became CLP leader. The CLP was reduced to a one-seat majority in 2014 when three CLP members defected to join the
Palmer United Party
The United Australia Party (UAP), formerly known as Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and the Palmer United Party (PUP), is a currently deregistered Australian political party formed by mining magnate Clive Palmer in April 2013. The party ...
. One defector later rejoined the CLP. After further defections, CLP numbers fell to
minority government status in July 2015.
The
2016 election saw a landslide CLP defeat which brought Labor to power led by Chief Minister
Michael Gunner. The position of
Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Though the office had existed since the creation of the Assembly in 1974, it was given greater legislative force wh ...
was held by CLP-turned-independent MP
Kezia Purick
Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick (born 12 May 1958) is an Australian politician. She is an Independent (politics), independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having held her seat of Electoral division of Goyder, Goyder since ...
from 23 October 2012. Despite Labor's massive majority following the 2016 election, the incoming Labor government re-appointed Purick as Speaker. Following an ICAC investigation into allegations
Kezia Purick
Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick (born 12 May 1958) is an Australian politician. She is an Independent (politics), independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having held her seat of Electoral division of Goyder, Goyder since ...
had engaged in corrupt conduct, she resigned, and the role was filled by
Chansey Paech
Chanston James "Chansey" Paech (pronounced "CHAN-see PAKE"; born 1987) is an Australian politician. He is a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Namatjira until 2020 and E ...
on 23 June 2020. Following the 2020 election, Paech resigned in September 2020 to serve as a minister in Gunner's cabinet, and
Ngaree Ah Kit was acting speaker for a month until her substantive election on 20 October 2020.
Chan Contemporary Artspace
Chan Contemporary Artspace is an exhibition gallery located in
Darwin, Northern Territory,
Australia. It is located in a former administrative building and home of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. For five years between 2010 and 2014 the Chan was the site of a changing exhibition program featuring works from local and regional contemporary artists auspiced through the
Northern Centre for Contemporary Art
The Northern Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA), formerly 24HR Art, NT Centre for Contemporary Art, is an art gallery in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
The gallery was founded in an old petrol station in 1989, giving rise to the name ...
. In 2015 the Northern Territory government announced a major refit and extension of facilities there for the site to be redeveloped as a second facility for the
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
History
The Chan Building was part of a series of administrative structures built in Darwin in the post-war period. Between 1990 and the end of 1994, the building was the home of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly while the current Parliament House was under construction. The building was then used for a variety of purposes and in 1999 underwent a major refit of $1.4m when Darwin hosted APEC 2000. In 2010 the Northern Territory government announced that the site would become the location of a contemporary art gallery.
In the 2015 Budget the Northern Territory government announced a dedicated visual art gallery in Darwin's historic Chan Building with a proposed budget of $18.3m sourced from a combination of government and private sources featuring gallery space, cafe and retail space.
It is intended that the space become the second campus of the existing
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory at Bullocky Point showcasing contemporary art while the Bullocky Point facility remains a centre for science and history.
See also
*
2020 Northern Territory general election
*
Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia.
All the parliaments are based on the Westminster system, and each is regulated by its own constitut ...
*
Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Following are lists of members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly:
* Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, 1974–1977 (1st parliament)
* Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, 1977–1980 (2nd parl ...
*
Northern Territory ministries
The ministries of the Northern Territory are appointed by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory each term from the members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.
See also
* Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly ...
*
List of museums in the Northern Territory
This list of museums in the Northern Territory, Australia contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of c ...
*
List of Northern Territory by-elections
This is a list of Northern Territory by-elections, with the names of the departing and new members and their respective parties.
Gains for the Labor Party are highlighted in red; for the Country Liberal Party in blue; for the Northern Territory ...
Notes
References
External links
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
{{Parliaments of Australia
Parliament of the Northern Territory
1974 establishments in Australia
Museums in the Northern Territory