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Chief Minister of the Northern Territory

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Chief Minister of the
Northern Territory
since 28 August 2024
Department of the Chief Minister
StyleThe Honourable
StatusHead of government
AbbreviationCM
Member of
Reports toParliament
SeatDarwin, Northern Territory
AppointerAdministrator of the Northern Territory
by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Legislative Assembly
Term lengthAt the Administrator's pleasure
contingent on the chief minister's ability to command confidence in the house of Parliament
Constituting instrumentNone (constitutional convention)
Formation19 October 1974 as Majority Leader
1 July 1978 as chief minister
First holderGoff Letts as Majority Leader
Paul Everingham as chief minister
DeputyDeputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
SalaryA$325,392[1]
Websitewww.chiefminister.nt.gov.au

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 officially known as majority leader. This title was used in the first parliament (1974–1977) and the first eighteen months of the second. When the Northern Territory acquired limited self-government in 1978, the title of the head of government became chief minister with greatly expanded powers, though still somewhat less than those of a state premier.

The chief minister is formally appointed by the administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whichever party holds the majority of seats in the unicameral Legislative Assembly. In times of constitutional crisis, the administrator can appoint someone else as chief minister, though this has never occurred.

Since 28 August 2024, following the 2024 Northern Territory general election, the chief minister is Lia Finocchiaro of the Country Liberal Party. She is the fourth female chief minister of the Northern Territory.

History

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The Country Liberal Party won the first Northern Territory election on 19 October 1974 and elected Goff Letts majority leader. He headed an Executive that carried out most of the functions of a ministry at the state level. At the 1977 election Letts lost his seat and party leadership. He was succeeded on 13 August 1977 by Paul Everingham (CLP) as Majority Leader. When the Territory attained self-government on 1 July 1978, Everingham became chief minister and his Executive became a Ministry.

In 2001, Clare Martin became the first Labor and female chief minister of the Northern Territory. Until 2004 the conduct of elections and drawing of electoral boundaries was performed by the Northern Territory Electoral Office, a unit of the Department of the chief minister. In March 2004 the independent Northern Territory Electoral Commission was established.

In 2013, Mills was replaced as chief minister and CLP leader by Adam Giles at the 2013 CLP leadership ballot on 13 March to become the first indigenous Australian to lead a state or territory government in Australia.[2]

Following the 2016 election landslide outcome, Labor's Michael Gunner became chief minister; he was the first Chief Minister who was born in the Northern Territory. On 10 May 2022, Gunner announced his intention to resign.[3] On 13 May 2022, Natasha Fyles was elected to the position by the Labor caucus.[4] On 19 December 2023, Fyles resigned following controversy over undeclared shares in mining company South32.[5] On 21 December 2023, Eva Lawler replaced Fyles by a unanimous decision of the Labor caucus.

List of chief ministers of the Northern Territory

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From the foundation of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974 until the granting of self-government in 1978, the head of government was known as the majority leader:

Political parties
No. Portrait Name
Electoral division
(Birth–death)
Election Term of office Political party Executive Administrator
Term start Term end Time in office
1 Goff Letts
MLA for Victoria River
(1928–2023)
1974 19 October
1974
12 August
1977
2 years, 297 days CLP Letts Jock Nelson
(1973–1975)
None
(1975–1978)
2 Paul Everingham
MLA for Jingili
(born 1943)
1977 13 August
1977
30 June
1978
321 days CLP Everingham
John England
(1978–1981)

From 1978, the position was known as the chief minister:

No. Portrait Name
Electoral division
(Birth–death)
Election Term of office Political party Ministry Administrator
Term start Term end Time in office
1 Paul Everingham
MLA for Jingili
(born 1943)
1 July
1978
15 October
1984
6 years, 106 days CLP Everingham John England
(1978–1981)
1980
Eric Johnston
(1981–1989)
1983
2 Ian Tuxworth
MLA for Barkly
(1942–2020)
16 October
1984
13 May
1986
1 year, 209 days CLP Tuxworth
3 Stephen Hatton
MLA for Nightcliff
(born 1948)
14 May
1986
12 July
1988
2 years, 59 days CLP Hatton
1987
4 Marshall Perron
MLA for Fannie Bay
(born 1942)
13 July
1988
24 May
1995
6 years, 315 days CLP Perron
James Muirhead
(1989–1993)
1990
Austin Asche
(1993–1997)
1994
5 Shane Stone
MLA for Port Darwin
(born 1950)
25 May
1995
7 February
1999
3 years, 258 days CLP Stone
1997
Neil Conn
(1997–2000)
6 Denis Burke
MLA for Brennan
(born 1948)
8 February
1999
27 August
2001
2 years, 200 days CLP Burke
John Anictomatis
(2000–2003)
7 Clare Martin
MLA for Fannie Bay
(born 1952)
2001 27 August
2001
26 November
2007
6 years, 91 days TL Martin
Ted Egan
(2003–2007)
2005
Tom Pauling
(2007–2011)
8 Paul Henderson
MLA for Wanguri
(born 1962)
26 November
2007
28 August
2012
4 years, 276 days TL Henderson
2008
Sally Thomas
(2011–2014)
9 Terry Mills
MLA for Blain
(born 1957)
2012 29 August
2012
13 March
2013
196 days CLP Mills
10 Adam Giles
MLA for Braitling
(born 1973)
14 March
2013
30 August
2016
3 years, 169 days CLP Giles
John Hardy
(2014–2017)
11 Michael Gunner
MLA for Fannie Bay
(born 1976)
2016 31 August
2016
13 May
2022
5 years, 255 days TL Gunner
Vicki O'Halloran
(2017–2023)
2020
12 Natasha Fyles
MLA for Nightcliff
(born 1978)
13 May
2022
21 December
2023
1 year, 222 days TL Fyles
Hugh Heggie
(since 2023)
13 Eva Lawler
MLA for Drysdale
(born 1962)
21 December
2023
28 August 2024 251 days TL Lawler
14 Lia Finocchiaro
MLA for Spillett
(born 1984)
2024 28 August 2024 Incumbent 99 days CLP Finocchiaro

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tyeson, Cam (1 June 2021). "Here's How Much Every State Premier Gets Paid If You Wanna Get Boomer-Tier Mad About Yr Taxes". Pedestrian. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Mills dumped as Giles takes top Territory job". ABC News. 13 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Michael Gunner resigns as NT Chief Minister to spend more time with family, newborn". ABC News. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Northern Territory Chief Minister revealed after shock resignation of Michael Gunner". ABC News. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  5. ^ Cox, Lisa; Press, Australian Associated (19 December 2023). "NT chief minister Natasha Fyles resigns after failing to disclose mining shares worth $2,000". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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