Paul Raymond Henderson (born 15 August 1962) is a former Australian politician who was
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 ...
from 2007 to 2012. He has been Chancellor of
Charles Darwin University
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, ...
since March 2019.
Background and early career
Henderson was born in
Croix-Chapeau
Croix-Chapeau () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
History
From 1953 to 1966 there was a 500-bed U.S. Army hospital in Croix-Chapeau, run by the 28th General Hospital unit,Labrude Pierre (2008) "Les hôpit ...
, France, where his father was serving with the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
. He was educated in the United Kingdom to
A-Levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
and studied
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
through the
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies – to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has ...
. He worked as an apprentice marine
fitter in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
before emigrating to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1982, where he worked as an underground fitter at the zinc mines in
Rosebery,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. He moved to
Darwin in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
in 1983, working as a marine fitter. In 1985 he began working for the
Northern Territory government
The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...
as a computer operator, was self-employed as a computer analyst in Britain from 1991 to 1992 and returned to work for the Northern Territory government in 1993.
Political career
Henderson was elected to the
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral legislature of the Northern Territory of Australia. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in single-member electorates for four-year terms. The voting method fo ...
in an
August 1999 by-election for the
Labor Party (ALP), representing the electorate of
Wanguri when the previous member,
John Bailey, resigned.
Henderson was promoted to cabinet in 2001 after Labor won a Territory election for the first time in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
. He held the following ministries: Minister for Employment, Education and Training; Minister for Tourism; Minister for Public Employment; and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, until he became
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 ...
after the sudden resignation of
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 ...
on 26 November 2007. He became the first man to lead an ALP Government in the Territory.
At the
2008 territory election, Henderson lost most of the large majority he'd inherited from Martin. Partly because new electoral boundaries had been gazetted just days before the writs were issued, most of the Labor members elected in the massive Labor landslide of
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
were unable to connect with their new constituents. Ultimately, Labor needed a paper-thin victory in Martin's old seat of
Fannie Bay to retain government with 13 of 25 seats, a one-seat majority.
In August 2009, Labor MLA
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 ...
resigned from the ALP after a disagreement with Henderson's government over housing in remote indigenous areas. The opposition
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 ...
moved a
motion of 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 ...
against Henderson, which was defeated by one vote after Henderson reached an agreement with Independent MLA Gerry Wood to support his government.
NT Labor survives crisis of confidence
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
, 14 August 2009.
At the 2012 territory election, Henderson's government was defeated by the opposition 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 ...
led by Terry Mills. On 25 January 2013, Henderson resigned from the Legislative Assembly, triggering a by-election in his electorate of Wanguri. To date, Henderson is the only ALP leader who did not serve as Leader of the Opposition.
On 26 June 2013, Henderson was granted the title "The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
" for life by the Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
.[Mr Paul Raymond Henderson granted the title "Honourable" for life]
''Commonwealth Special Gazette'' C2013G00975, S No. 75 of 2013.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Paul
1962 births
Australian Labor Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian public servants
Chief Ministers of the Northern Territory
Living people
Machinists
Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Attorneys-General of the Northern Territory
Treasurers of the Northern Territory
People from Charente-Maritime
Australian people of American descent
English emigrants to Australia
French emigrants to Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Officers of the Order of Australia