Northern Territory Legislative Assembly: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}

| legislature = [[Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, 2020–2024|14th Assembly]]

| coa_pic = Northern_Territory_Coat_of_Arms.svg

| coa_res = 200px

| session_room = Darwin (AU), Parliament House -- 2019 -- 4336-8.jpg

| foundation = {{start date and age|1974}}

| leader1_type = [[Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly|Speaker]]

| leader2_type = Deputy Speaker

| leader3_type = Leader of Government Business

| leader4_type = Government Whip

| members = '''25'''

| structure1_res = 175px

| voting_system1 = [[Instant-runoff voting|Full preferential voting]]

| term_length = 4 years

| first_election1 = [[1974 Northern Territory general election|19 October 1974]]

| meeting_place = [[Parliament House, Darwin|Parliament House]], [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]

| website = {{URL|www.parliament.nt.gov.au}}

 

Persons who are qualified under the ''[[Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918]]'' to vote for a member for the Northern Territory in the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] 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]], which also organises regular electoral redistributions.<ref>''Electoral Act 2004''</ref><ref>{{cite web

| publisher = NT Electoral Commission

| access-date = 2015-07-04}}</ref>

 

==Current distribution of seats==

 

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan=2 | Seats

|-

| {{Australian party style|Independent}} |

|}

* 13 votes as a majority are required to pass legislation.

 

==Powers==

[[File:Legislative Assembly NT Chamber.jpg|left|thumb|The legislative assembly chamber]]

 

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.

 

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]], 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==

[[File:The first Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, 1976.jpg|thumb|The first Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, 1976|left]]

 

From its inception prior to the [[1974 Northern Territory general election|1974 election]] until the [[2001 Northern Territory general election|2001 election]], the Legislative Assembly was controlled by the conservative [[Country Liberal Party]], which since 1979 has been affiliated with the federal [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]–[[National Party of Australia|National]] [[Coalition (Australia)|coalition]]. In 2001, the [[Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)|Labor Party]] won a one-seat majority, and [[Clare Martin]] became the Territory's first Labor and first female chief minister. At the [[2005 Northern Territory general election|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 (politician)|Paul Henderson]] as ALP leader, and retained government with another one-seat majority at the [[2008 Northern Territory general election|2008 election]]. Labor lost its majority when [[Marion Scrymgour]] went to the cross-benches as an independent. She re-joined the party after [[Alison Anderson]] left the party to sit as an independent. Anderson joined the CLP in September 2011. The [[2012 Northern Territory general election|2012 election]] resulted in the return of the CLP under [[Terry Mills (Australian politician)|Terry Mills]] with 16 seats to the ALP's 8. Mills resigned in 2013 and [[Adam Giles]] 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]]. One defector later rejoined the CLP. After further defections, CLP numbers fell to [[minority government]] status in July 2015.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-20/kezia-purick-quits-country-liberals-nt-government-loses-majority/6632916 Kezia Purick quits Northern Territory Country Liberals party, Government loses one-seat majority: ABC 20 July 2015]</ref><ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-20/adam-giles-wants-early-election-after-kezia-purick-leaves-clp/6634496 Adam Giles would 'love to go to an early election' after Kezia Purick resigns Country Liberals party: ABC 20 July 2015]</ref>

 

The [[2016 Northern Territory general election|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]] was held by CLP-turned-independent MP [[Kezia Purick]] from 23 October 2012. Despite Labor's massive majority following the 2016 election, the incoming Labor government re-appointed Purick as Speaker.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-11/northern-territory-government-announces-new-cabinet/7834466 NT Labor Government announces female-dominated Cabinet: ABC 11 September 2016]</ref> Following an ICAC investigation into allegations [[Kezia Purick]] had engaged in corrupt conduct, she resigned, and the role was filled by [[Chansey Paech]] 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.

 

==See also==

* [[2020 Northern Territory general election]]

* [[Parliaments of the Australian states and territories]]

* [[Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly]]