The
Northern Territory is a federal territory of
Australia. The capital city is
Darwin; the other two sizable settlements are
Alice Springs (in the desert interior, 1,500 kilometres (930
mi) to the south) and
Katherine (near the base of the
Top End). Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'. It is the largest territory in Australia by area.
History
Indigenous Australians have lived in the present area of the Northern Territory for an estimated 40,000 years, and extensive seasonal trade links existed between them and the peoples of what is now
Indonesia for at least five centuries.
With the coming of the British, there were four early attempts to settle the harsh environment of the northern coast, of which three failed in starvation and despair. The Northern Territory was part of
New South Wales from
1825 to
1863, except for a brief time from February
1846 until December 1846 when it was part of the short lived colony of
North Australia, and part of
South Australia from
1863 to
1911. Under the administration of South Australia, the overland telegraph was constructed by Charles Todd between 1870 and 1872. A railway was also built between
Palmerston and
Pine Creek between 1883 and 1889. The economic pattern of cattle raising and mining was established so that by 1911 there were 513 000 cattle. Victoria River Downs was at one time the largest cattle station in the world. Gold was found at
Grove Hill in 1872 and at Pine Creek,
Brocks Creek,
Burrundi and copper was found at
Daly River. Many of the miners were Chinese and subsequently deported under the
White Australia Policy.
On
1 January 1911, a decade after federation, the Northern Territory was separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control.
Alfred Deakin opined at this time "To me the question has been not so much commercial as national, first, second, third and last. Either we must accomplish the peopling of the northern territory or submit to its transfer to some other nation."
For a brief time between 1927 and 1931 the Northern Territory was divided into
North Australia and
Central Australia at the 20th parallel of South latitude. Soon after this time, parts of the Northern Territory were considered in the "Kimberley Scheme" as a possible site for the establishment of a Jewish Homeland, understandably considered the "
Unpromised Land".
During
World War II, most of the
Top End was placed under military government. This is the only time since Federation that an Australian state or territory has been under military control. After the war, control for the entire area was handed back to the Commonwealth.
Indigenous Australians had struggled for rights to fair wages and land. An important event in this struggle was the
strike and walk off by the
Gurindji people at
Wave Hill Cattle Station in
1966. The Commonwealth Government of
Gough Whitlam set up the Woodward
Royal Commission in February 1973 set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a
Central Land Council and a
Northern Land Council be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people. In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the
Fraser Government on
16 December 1976 and began operation on the following
Australia Day (
26 January 1977).
In
1978 the Territory was granted
responsible government, with a
Legislative Assembly headed by a
Chief Minister.
During 1996 the Northern Territory was briefly one of the few places in the world with legal voluntary
euthanasia, until the Federal Parliament overturned the legislation
(External Link
). Before the overriding legislation was enacted, three people committed suicide through voluntary euthanasia, a practice orchestrated by Dr
Philip Nitschke.
Politics
The territory has a
legislative assembly. Whilst this assembly exercises similar powers as the governments of the states of Australia, it does so by delegation of powers from the commonwealth government, rather than by any constitutional right.
For several years there has been agitation for full statehood. A
referendum was held on the issue in 1998, which was resolved in the negative. This was a shock to both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments, for opinion polls showed most Territorians supported statehood. However, under the Australian Constitution, the Federal government may set the terms of entry to full statehood. The Northern Territory was offered three Senators, rather than the twelve guaranteed to original states. (Because of the difference in populations, equal numbers of Senate seats would mean a Territorian's vote for a Senator would have been worth more than 30 votes in
New South Wales or
Victoria.) Alongside what was cited as an arrogant approach adopted by then Chief Minister
Shane Stone, it's believed that most Territorians, regardless of their general views on statehood, were reluctant to adopt the particular offer that was made.
The current head of government is Chief Minister
Clare Martin who led the
Australian Labor Party to their first Northern Territory electoral victory in August 2001, and to a second victory in June 2005. The leader of the opposition was
Denis Burke, head of the
Country Liberal Party, until the Territory elections of June 2005, where Burke lost his seat. The party then chose
Jodeen Carney as the new Opposition Leader.
The territory is represented in the
Commonwealth parliament by two members in the House of Representatives, currently
Warren Snowdon for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and
David Tollner for the Country Liberal Party (CLP), and two members in the Senate, currently
Trish Crossin for the ALP and
Nigel Scullion for the CLP.
At the local government level, there are 6 incorporated municipalities (3 town councils, 1 shire and 2 cities), 30 'community government councils' and 26 other bodies. See:
Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory
People
Population growth
estimates for Northern Territory |
| 2006 |
212,600 |
| 2021 |
308,700 |
| 2050 |
500,000 |
| Source: ABS |
The population of the Northern Territory in late 2006 was estimated at 212,600
This was an 1.8% increase from the 2001
Australian Bureau of Statistics report and the population represents 1% of the total population of
Australia. The cities that make up these populations are,
Darwin and nearby
Palmerston with 111,000 and
Alice Springs with 28,000. The
Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that by 2021 the Territories population will increase to around 308,700 people, and by the year 2050 the population would reach 500,000 people. The Northern Territory's population is the youngest in Australia, and has the largest proportion under 15 years of age and the smallest proportion aged 65 and over. The median age of residents of the Northern Territory is 30.3 years, almost six years younger than the national median age. More than 100 nationalities are represented in the Northern Territory's population, including more than 50 organisations representing different ethnic groups. The Northern Territory's
alcohol consumption rate is one of the highest in the world, and is the highest in Australia. In
2001 the alcohol consumption rate was estimated at 1120
standard drinks per person per year.
Indigenous Australian people make up 29 per cent of the Northern Territory's population and own some 49% of the land. The life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians is well below that of non-Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory, a fact that's mirrored elsewhere in Australia. ABS statistics suggest that Indigenous Australians die about 20 years earlier than the average Australian.
There are Aboriginal communities in many parts of the territory, the largest ones being the Pitjantjatjara near Uluru, the Arrernte near Alice Springs, the Luritja between those two, the Warlpiri further north, and the Yolngu in eastern Arnhem Land.
See also: Australian Aboriginal Prehistoric Sites.
Land Rights
The
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could, for the first time, claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. In effect it allowed title to be transferred for most of the Aboriginal reserve lands and the opportunity to claim other land not owned, leased or being used by someone else.
The Land Councils are representative bodies with statutory authority under the Act. They also have responsibilities under the
Native Title Act 1993 and the
Pastoral Land Act 1992. There are four Land Councils in the Northern Territory, they are:
Geography
There are many very small settlements scattered across the Territory but the larger population centres are located on the single sealed road that links Darwin to southern Australia, the Stuart Highway, known to locals simply as "the track".
The Northern Territory is also home to two spectacular natural rock formations,
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and
Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), which are sacred to the local Aboriginal peoples and which have become major tourist attractions.
In the northern part of the territory lies
Kakadu National Park, which features breathtaking wetlands and native wildlife. To the north of that lies the Arafura Sea, and to the east lies
Arnhem Land, whose regional centre is
Maningrida on the Liverpool River delta.
Highest maximum temperature: 48.3 °C (118.9 °F),
Finke,
2 January 1960
Lowest minimum temperature: -7.5 °C (18.5 °F),
Alice Springs,
12 July 1976 (External Link)
Rivers include:
Alligator River
Daly River
Finke River
McArthur River
Roper River
Todd River
Victoria River
National Parks
»
Arnhem Land (Restricted Area)
Barranyi Nth. Island National Park
Casuarina Coastal Reserve
Daly River Nature Park
Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve
Djukbinj National Park
Elsey National Park
Finke Gorge National Park
Gregory National Park
Gurig National Park-now Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
Howard Springs Nature Park Conservation Reserve
Kakadu National Park
Keep River National Park
Watarrka National Park (including Kings Canyon)
Litchfield National Park
Mary River Crossing Conservation Reserve and proposed Mary River National Park
Mataranka Thermal Springs
Nitmiluk National Park
Palm Valley
Tanami Desert
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Watarrka National Park
West MacDonnell National Park
Tourism
Tourism is one of the major industries on the Northern Territory. Iconic destinations such as Uluru and Kakadu make the Northern Territory a must see destination for domestic and international travellers. Diverse landscapes, spectacular waterfalls, wide open spaces, aboriginal culture, wild and untamed wildlife, all create a unique opportunity for the visitor to immerse themselves in the natural wonder that the Northern Territory offers. Images of Uluru (Ayers Rock) are recognised around the world ensuring that Tourism in the Northern Territory will remain a vital component of its future.
Economy
The Northern Territory's economy comprises mostly primary extractive industries, together with a significant amount of tourism.
The principal mining operations are:
Bauxite at Gove Peninsula
Manganese at Groote Eylandt
Uranium at Ranger
Proposed mines include:
Manganese at Bootu Creek
Iron ore at Frances Creek
Transport
A new standard gauge railway connects Adelaide via Alice Springs with Darwin, replacing earlier narrow gauge railways which were never connected through.
The Northern Territory was one of the few remaining places in the world that had unlimited road speed limits. From 1 January 2007 there's a default speed limit of 110km/h on roads outside of urban areas (Inside urban areas of 40, 50 or 60km/h) - Otherwise signposted of 130km/h on some straight highways (for example The Stuart Highway)
As of June 2007 however road deaths are up 28.6 per cent on last year. The road toll has also increased, by 35.7 per cent. (External Link)
External results
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