Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Honourable |
| Appointer | Elected by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly |
| Inaugural holder | Bernie Kilgariff |
| Formation | 20 November 1974 |
| Deputy | Gary Higgins |
| Website | http://www.nt.gov.au/lant/about-parliament/speaker.shtml |
The Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Though the office had existed since the creation of the Assembly in 1974, it was given greater legislative force when the roles and functions of the office were included in the federal Act that gave the Territory self-government in 1978.
The position of Speaker has been held by independent MP Kezia Purick since 23 October 2012. Despite Labor's massive majority following the outcome of the 2016 election, the Labor government re-appointed Purick as Speaker.[1]
The Speaker's principal duty is to preside over the Assembly. The occupant of the Chair must maintain order in the House, uphold the Standing Orders (rules of procedure) and protect the rights of backbench members.
The Speaker must be a member of the Assembly themselves, and is elected to the position by a ballot of the members of the Assembly. It is generally a partisan position, although both Speaker and Deputy Speaker were independents between 2001 and 2005 and the current Speaker is an independent.
Speakers of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
| Member | Party | Term in Office |
| Bernie Kilgariff | Country Liberal Party | 20 November 1974 – 16 July 1975 |
| Les MacFarlane | Country Liberal Party | 17 July 1975 – 27 February 1984 |
| Roger Steele | Country Liberal Party | 28 February 1984 – 16 June 1986 |
| Roger Vale | Country Liberal Party | 17 June 1986 – 9 October 1989 |
| Nick Dondas | Country Liberal Party | 10 October 1989 – 26 June 1994 |
| Terry McCarthy | Country Liberal Party | 27 June 1994 – 24 November 1997 |
| Loraine Braham | Country Liberal Party | 25 November 1997 – 15 February 1999 |
| Terry McCarthy | Country Liberal Party | 16 February 1999 – 15 October 2001 |
| Loraine Braham | Independent | 16 October 2001 – 28 June 2005 |
| Jane Aagaard | Australian Labor Party | 29 June 2005 – 22 October 2012 |
| Kezia Purick | Country Liberal Party/Independent | 23 October 2012 – present |
