Chief Minister of the Northern Territory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Flag of the Northern Territory
Coat of arms of the Northern Territory
Incumbent Lia Finocchiaro since 28 August 2024
Department of the Chief Minister
Style	The Honourable
Abbreviation	CM
Member of	Parliament National Cabinet Cabinet Executive Council
Reports to	Parliament
Seat	Darwin, Northern Territory
Appointer	Administrator of the Northern Territory by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Legislative Assembly
Term length	At the Administrator's pleasure contingent on the chief minister's ability to command confidence in the house of Parliament
Constituting instrument	None (constitutional convention)
Formation	19 October 1974 as Majority Leader 1 July 1978 as chief minister
First holder	Goff Letts as Majority Leader Paul Everingham as chief minister
Deputy	Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Salary	A$325,392
Website	www.chiefminister.nt.gov.au

The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is the main leader of the government in the Northern Territory of Australia. This job is similar to a state premier in other parts of Australia.

When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (which is like their parliament) was first created in 1974, the leader was called the Majority Leader. This title was used until 1978. In 1978, the Northern Territory gained more control over its own affairs, and the leader's title changed to Chief Minister. The Chief Minister then had much more power.

The Administrator officially appoints the Chief Minister. Usually, the Administrator chooses the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. This is how the system works in a parliamentary democracy.

Since August 28, 2024, Lia Finocchiaro from the Country Liberal Party has been the Chief Minister. She is the fourth woman to hold this important position in the Northern Territory.

How the Chief Minister Role Began

The Country Liberal Party won the very first election in the Northern Territory on October 19, 1974. Their leader, Goff Letts, became the first Majority Leader. He led a group called the Executive, which acted much like a government ministry.

In the 1977 election, Goff Letts lost his seat and his leadership role. Paul Everingham from the Country Liberal Party took over as Majority Leader on August 13, 1977.

When the Northern Territory became self-governing on July 1, 1978, Paul Everingham became the first Chief Minister. His Executive group then officially became a Ministry, which is a formal government team.

Even though the leader was called "Majority Leader," the opposing leader was known as the Leader of the Opposition, not the Minority Leader.

Important Moments in Leadership

In 2001, Clare Martin made history. She became the first Chief Minister from the Labor Party and the first female Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

Before 2004, the Northern Territory Electoral Office handled elections and drew electoral boundaries. This office was part of the Chief Minister's department. In March 2004, an independent group called the Northern Territory Electoral Commission was created to do this work.

In 2013, Adam Giles became the Chief Minister and leader of the Country Liberal Party. He was the first indigenous Australian to lead a state or territory government in Australia.

After the 2016 election, Michael Gunner from the Labor Party became Chief Minister. He was the first Chief Minister who was born in the Northern Territory.

Michael Gunner announced he would resign on May 10, 2022. On May 13, 2022, Natasha Fyles was chosen by the Labor Party members to take his place. She resigned on December 19, 2023. On December 21, 2023, Eva Lawler replaced Natasha Fyles. Eva Lawler's term ended on August 28, 2024.

Who Has Been Chief Minister?

From 1974 to 1978, the leader was called the Majority Leader. Here are the people who held that role:

Political parties

     Country Liberal Party (CLP)      Territory Labor Party (TL)

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	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	Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943)	1977	13 August 1977	30 June 1978	321 days	CLP	Everingham
									John England (1978–1981)

From 1978 onwards, the position has been 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	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	Ian Tuxworth MLA for Barkly (1942–2020)	—	16 October 1984	13 May 1986	1 year, 209 days	CLP	Tuxworth
3	Stephen Hatton	Stephen Hatton MLA for Nightcliff (born 1948)	—	14 May 1986	12 July 1988	2 years, 59 days	CLP	Hatton
			1987
4	Marshall Perron	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	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	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	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	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	Terry Mills MLA for Blain (born 1957)	2012	29 August 2012	13 March 2013	196 days	CLP	Mills
10	Adam Giles	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	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	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	Eva Lawler MLA for Drysdale (born 1962)	—	21 December 2023	28 August 2024	251 days	TL	Lawler
14	Lia Finocchiaro	Lia Finocchiaro MLA for Spillett (born 1984)	2024	28 August 2024	Incumbent	332 days	CLP	Finocchiaro

More Information

• List of chief ministers of the Northern Territory by time in office
• Territory rig