Northern Territory Legislative Council
Encyclopedia
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory
of Australia
from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
in 1974.
Prior to 1947, there had been several attempts by sections of the Northern Territory population to introduce a self-governing body for the region. In 1943, the Minister for External Affairs
, HV Evatt (who at that time had responsibility for the Northern Territory) recommended the foundation of a Legislative Council, arguing that Northern Territorians should have the same self-governing rights as those living in Australian administered New Guinea
.
In 1947, Prime Minister
Ben Chifley
government created a 13 member Legislative Council consisting of six elected members and seven nominated by the federal government, including the Administrator of the Northern Territory
, who held both deliberative and casting votes. The Council could "make Ordinances for the peace, order and good government of the Territory" but could be vetoed by the federal government and had no authority over money matters.
The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4443, all of whom were white. The Territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor and Stuart (see Table for further information).
There were redistributions in 1959 (increasing the number of electorates to eight), 1962, 1965 and 1968 (eleven electorates).
Every candidate at the 1947 election was an independent and it was not until the 1951 election that the Country Party
became the first political party to stand a candidate. Later the Australian Labor Party
ran candidates and usually returned between two and four members at each election, while the North Australia Party formed in 1965 and elected Tony Greatorex, who then joined the Country Party.
Legislative Council members continued to oppose the federal government's reluctance to grant them more power. The Government believed that the Northern Territory needed to be self-supporting before greater powers could be given. This stand-off led to the elected members resigning their seats emmasse in protest in April 1958. They were all re-elected at subsequent by-elections, leading to a promise from the federal government of a new structure encompassing eight elected members, six government appointees and three nominees to be drawn from outside the public service.
In 1962, indigenous people first gained the franchise to vote in Territory elections, although none sat on Council throughout its existence. Previous to this, the only non-white people eligible to vote were Māori.
Further reforms were made in 1965, when the Administrator was replaced by an elected Council President, and in 1968 when the three non-government nominees were replaced by 3 further elected members. However, the Commonwealth still held the right of veto.
In 1973, the Gough Whitlam
led federal Labor government formed a joint committee of parliament to consider the establishment of a Legislative Assembly in the Northern Territory and as a response, the Legislative Council was abolished to make way for a fully elected Legislative Assembly, which held its first election in 1974
.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
in 1974.
Prior to 1947, there had been several attempts by sections of the Northern Territory population to introduce a self-governing body for the region. In 1943, the Minister for External Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
, HV Evatt (who at that time had responsibility for the Northern Territory) recommended the foundation of a Legislative Council, arguing that Northern Territorians should have the same self-governing rights as those living in Australian administered New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
In 1947, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Ben Chifley
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
government created a 13 member Legislative Council consisting of six elected members and seven nominated by the federal government, including the Administrator of the Northern Territory
Administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to exercise powers analogous to that of a state governor...
, who held both deliberative and casting votes. The Council could "make Ordinances for the peace, order and good government of the Territory" but could be vetoed by the federal government and had no authority over money matters.
The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4443, all of whom were white. The Territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor and Stuart (see Table for further information).
| Electorate | Area | Enrolment | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin | Darwin Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... and surrounds |
2080 | 2 |
| Alice Springs | Alice Springs and surrounds | 735 | 1 |
| Tennant Creek | Tennant Creek and surrounds | 300 | 1 |
| Batchelor | All area north of latitude 20 degrees 20th parallel south The 20th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 20 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America.... excluding Darwin |
915 | 1 |
| Stuart Electoral division of Stuart Stuart is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. Named after explorer John McDouall Stuart, it was initially created in 1947 as one of the five inaugural electoral divisions of the Northern Territory Legislative Council... |
All area south of latitude 20 degrees 20th parallel south The 20th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 20 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America.... excluding Alice Springs and Tennant Creek |
413 | 1 |
There were redistributions in 1959 (increasing the number of electorates to eight), 1962, 1965 and 1968 (eleven electorates).
Every candidate at the 1947 election was an independent and it was not until the 1951 election that the Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
became the first political party to stand a candidate. Later the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
ran candidates and usually returned between two and four members at each election, while the North Australia Party formed in 1965 and elected Tony Greatorex, who then joined the Country Party.
Legislative Council members continued to oppose the federal government's reluctance to grant them more power. The Government believed that the Northern Territory needed to be self-supporting before greater powers could be given. This stand-off led to the elected members resigning their seats emmasse in protest in April 1958. They were all re-elected at subsequent by-elections, leading to a promise from the federal government of a new structure encompassing eight elected members, six government appointees and three nominees to be drawn from outside the public service.
In 1962, indigenous people first gained the franchise to vote in Territory elections, although none sat on Council throughout its existence. Previous to this, the only non-white people eligible to vote were Māori.
Further reforms were made in 1965, when the Administrator was replaced by an elected Council President, and in 1968 when the three non-government nominees were replaced by 3 further elected members. However, the Commonwealth still held the right of veto.
In 1973, the Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
led federal Labor government formed a joint committee of parliament to consider the establishment of a Legislative Assembly in the Northern Territory and as a response, the Legislative Council was abolished to make way for a fully elected Legislative Assembly, which held its first election in 1974
Northern Territory general election, 1974
The first general election for the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 19 October 1974, and was won by the incumbent Country Liberal Party ....
.