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. He/She performs functions similar to those of a state governor.
Strictly speaking, the appointment of an Administrator is made by the Governor-General-in-Council, that is, the Governor-General acting on the advice of the Commonwealth Government, rather than the advice of the Government of the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory received self-government on 1 July 1978, in accordance with the provisions of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 (Cth).[1] Since then, the practice has arisen that in making an appointment the Governor-General-in-Council will act on the recommendation of the Northern Territory Government.
Unlike an Australian State Governor, the Administrator is not the direct representative of the Queen in the Territory but is instead appointed by the Queen's representative in the Commonwealth, the Governor-General, to administer the Territory in accordance with the Act. In practice, however, the Administrator performs a similar constitutional role to that of a state governor and can be considered the Queen's indirect representative in the Territory.
The Administrator formally appoints the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and the members of the Cabinet after every election. In all but a few cases, he or she is required by convention to act on the Cabinet's advice. The Administrator gives royal assent to all bills passed by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Although the Governor-General (in practice, the Commonwealth Government) has the power to veto any territorial bill, in practice this right is almost never exercised.
The office of the Deputy of the Administrator was created in 1997.
In 2014, the Governor-General granted current, future and living former Administrators the title of 'The Honourable' for life, following the lead of Governors-General and Governors of New South Wales in granting the title.[2]
The present Administrator is John Hardy, OAM.[3]
South Australia (1846 to 1912)
Government Residents of the Northern Territory when annexed to the colony (later state) of South Australia:
No. | Government Resident | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB | 21 February 1846 | 28 December 1846[4] |
2 | The Hon. Boyle Travers Finniss | 3 March 1864 | 4 November 1865[5] |
(acting) | James Stokes Millner MD | January 1870 | April 1870 |
3 | William Bloomfield Douglas | 27 April 1870 | June 1873[6] |
(acting) | James Stokes Millner MD | June 1873[7] | October 1873 |
4 | George Byng Scott | 6 October 1873 | 30 June 1876[8] |
5 | Edward William Price | 1 July 1876 | 6 March 1883[9] |
(acting) | Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn | March 1883[10] | March 1884 |
6 | John Parsons | 19 March 1884 | 14 February 1890[11] |
7 | John Knight FRIBA | 16 July 1890 | 10 January 1892[12] |
8 | Charles James Dashwood | 24 February 1892 | 31 January 1905[13] |
9 | Charles Edward Herbert | 1 February 1905 | 8 February 1910[14] |
10 | The Hon. Samuel Mitchell | 1 April 1910 | 25 March 1912 |
Commonwealth of Australia (1912 to present)
Administrators and Government Residents of the Northern Territory after transfer of control to the Commonwealth Government:
Administrator (1912 to 1919)
No. | Administrator | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John Gilruth FRSE MRCVS | 25 March 1912 | 1 August 1919 |
Director (1919 to 1921)
No. | Director | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Henry Ernest Carey | 1 August 1919 | 17 January 1921 |
Administrator (1921 to 1927)
No. | Administrator | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Frederic Urquhart | 17 January 1921 | 1 March 1927 |
Government Resident (1927 to 1931)
There was a brief experiment splitting government with an additional Government Resident (Central Australia) in Alice Springs based at The Residency. Alice Springs was known as Stuart town from 1888 to 1933.[15]
No. | Government Resident (North Australia) | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Robert Weddell | 1 March 1927 | 12 June 1931 |
No. | Government Resident (Central Australia) | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John Cawood | 1 March 1927 | 11 December 1929 |
2 | Victor Carrington MBE | 11 December 1929 | 12 June 1931 |
Administrator (1931 to present)
No. | Administrator | Post- Nominal |
From | To |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Robert Weddell | 12 June 1931 | 29 March 1937 | |
2 | The Hon. Aubrey Abbott | 29 March 1937 | 1 July 1946 | |
3 | Arthur Driver | BEM | 1 July 1946 | 1 July 1951 |
4 | The Hon. Frank Wise | AO | 1 July 1951 | 1 July 1956 |
5 | James Archer | OBE | 1 July 1956 | 1 April 1961 |
6 | Roger Nott | CBE | 1 April 1961 | 1 October 1964 |
7 | Roger Dean | CBE | 1 October 1964 | 4 March 1970 |
8 | The Hon. Sir Frederick Chaney | KBE AFC | 4 March 1970 | 10 December 1973 |
9 | Jock Nelson | 10 December 1973 | 12 November 1975 | |
10 | John England | CMG | 1 June 1978 | 1 January 1981 |
11 | Commodore Eric Johnston | AO OBE RAN | 1 January 1981 | 1 July 1989 |
12 | The Hon. James Muirhead | AC QC | 1 July 1989 | 1 March 1993 |
13 | The Hon. Austin Asche | AC QC | 1 March 1993 | 17 February 1997 |
14 | The Hon. Dr. Neil Conn | AO | 17 February 1997 | 28 November 2000 |
15 | The Hon. John Anictomatis | AO | 28 November 2000 | 30 October 2003 |
16 | The Hon. Ted Egan | AO | 31 October 2003 | 31 October 2007 |
17 | The Hon. Tom Pauling | AO QC | 31 October 2007 | 31 October 2011 |
18 | The Hon. Sally Thomas | AC | 31 October 2011 | 10 November 2014 |
19 | The Hon. John Hardy | OAM | 10 November 2014 | Present |
Deputy of the Administrator (1997 to present)
The office of the Deputy of the Administrator was established in 1997.
No. | Deputy of the Administrator | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Minna Sitzler AM | 17 February 1997 | 30 November 2001 |
2 | Pat Miller AO | 20 September 2002 | present |
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Administrators of the Northern Territory. |
References
- ↑ "Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978".
- ↑ ComLaw
- ↑ NT Office of Administrator
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1846_fitzroy.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1864_finniss.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1870_douglas.pdf
- ↑ "The Ministry have accepted the resignation ...". The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 9 June 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1873_scott.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1876_price.pdf
- ↑ "Appointment.". Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927). Darwin, NT: National Library of Australia. 31 March 1883. p. 1. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1884_parsons.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1890_knight.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1892_dashwood.pdf
- ↑ http://www.nt.gov.au/administrator/pdf/cv/1905_herbert.pdf
- ↑ "Biography: Previous Incumbents - Victor George Carrington" (PDF). Government House Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 2 April 2012.