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The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west, South Australia to the south, and Queensland to the east. To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Despite its large area, over — making it the third largest Australian federal division — it is sparsely populated. With a population of 217,559,^[1] it is the least populous division in the country.

The history of the Northern Territory began over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians settled the region. Makassan traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang from at least the 18th century onwards, and very likely for 300 years prior to that, while the coast of the territory was first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first to attempt to settle the coastal regions in the 19th century; however no attempt was successful until the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin in 1869. Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park in the Top End and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining.

The capital city is Darwin. The population is not concentrated in coastal regions but rather along the Stuart Highway. The other major settlements are Katherine, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy in the territory's north-east.

Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'.

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 to December 1846, when it was part of the short lived colony of North Australia. It was part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. Under the administration of South Australia, the overland telegraph was constructed 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.

Letters Patent annexing the Northern Territory to South Australia, 1863

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.^[2] Before the overriding legislation was enacted, three people committed suicide through voluntary euthanasia, a practice orchestrated by Dr. Philip Nitschke.

Government

The legislative assembly building in Darwin.

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 is believed that most Territorians, regardless of their general views on statehood, were reluctant to adopt the particular offer that was made.^[3]

The current head of government is Chief Minister Paul Henderson, who replaced Claire Martin on 26 November 2007. 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 Terry Mills as the new Opposition Leader. Subsequently, Jodeen Carney took over for a time. In January 2008, Terry Mills again became the Opposition Leader.

The territory is represented in the Commonwealth parliament by two members in the House of Representatives, currently Warren Snowdon and Damian Hale for the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and two members in the Senate, currently Trish Crossin for the ALP and Nigel Scullion for the CLP.

The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974. The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4,443, all of whom were white. The territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor and Stuart.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of a self-governing territory, while the head of government of a state is a Premier. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Administrator of the Northern Territory, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory. The current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is Paul Henderson.

The Northern Territory received self-government on 1 July 1978 under its own Administrator of the Northern Territory appointed by the Governor-General of Australia. The Commonwealth government, not the Government of the Northern Territory, advises the governor-general on appointment of the Administrator, but by convention, consults first with the Territory Government. The current administrator, Tom Pauling, was sworn in on 9 November 2007.

The Northern Territory has 63 Local Government Areas; though only six councils are considered municipalities which include one shire, three towns and two cities. There are other types of local bodies.

Demographics

Darwin skyline from East Point

However, Charles Darwin University's School for Social and Policy Research, asserts this is an unlikely scenario. Instead, the School projects the Territory's population will grow to about 312,000 by 2036, up from just under 211,000 in 2006. This represents an average annual growth rate of 1.6 per cent for the Territory per annum. ^[7].

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.^[8]

More than 54% of Territorians live in Darwin, located in the territory's north (Top End). The greater Darwin metropolitan area and nearby Palmerston is home to an estimated 111,000 people. Less than half of the territory's population live in the rural Northern Territory. Other major centres include Alice Springs with a population of 28,000 people.

Indigenous Australian people make up 31% 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 is 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.

Religion

• Christian: 53.6%
  • Roman Catholic: 20.3%
  • Anglican: 12.7%
  • Uniting Church: 7.0%
  • Lutheran: 3.6%
  • Other: 0.09%
• Non-Christian:
  • Buddhism: 1.4%
  • Islam: 0.5%
  • Hinduism: 0.2%
  • Judaism: 0.08%
  • Other: 1.8%
• No Religion: 21.9%
• Not Stated: 16.7%

Land Rights

Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park

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:

• the Anindilyakawa Land Council covering Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
• the Central Land Council is in the southern half of the Northern Territory. The region covers 771,747 square kilometres (297,973&nbps;sq mi) of remote, rugged and often inaccessible areas. There are 18,000 Aboriginal people from 15 different Aboriginal language groups in Central Australia.
• the Northern Land Council covering the Top End.
• the Tiwi Land Council covering Bathurst and Melville Islands north of Darwin.

The Northern Territory Emergency Response provides for the Commonwealth Government to compulsorily acquire five year leases of townships currently held under the title provisions of the Native Title Act 1993 through with compensation on a basis other than just terms. (The number of settlements involved remains unclear.)

Education

Primary and secondary

A Northern Territory school education consists of six years of primary schooling, including one transition year, three years of middle schooling, and three years of secondary schooling. In the beginning of 2007, the Northern Territory introduced Middle School for Years 7-9 and High School for Years 10-12. Northern Territory children generally begin school at age five. On completing secondary school, students earn the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE). Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ENTER score, to determine university admittance. An International Baccalaureate is offered at one school in the Territory - Kormilda College.

Northern Territory schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Department of Employment, Education and Training.^[9] Private fee-paying schools include schools run by the Catholic Church and independent schools, some elite ones similar to English public schools. Some Northern Territory Independent schools are affiliated with Protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, Greek Orthodox or Seventh-day Adventist churches, but include non church schools and an Indigenous school.

As of 2007, the Northern Territory had 150 public schools, 15 Catholic schools and 20 independent schools. 33,000 students were enrolled in public schools, and 3,373 in private schools and 4,684 in catholic schools. The Northern Territory has about 4,000 full-time teachers.

Tertiary

The Northern Territory has one university. The Charles Darwin University enrolled its first student in 1987. Today Charles Darwin University has 19,000 students enrolled. The Northern Territory also has two government run TAFE institutes. The first tertiary institution in the territory was the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (established in mid 1960s).

Libraries

The Northern Territory State Library is the Territory's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving the Northern Territory documentary heritage and making it available through a range of programs and services. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.

Geography

Northern Territory towns, settlements and road network

There are many very small settlements scattered across the territory, but the larger population centres are located on the single paved 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. There is an extensive series of river systems in the Northern Territory. These rivers include: Alligator River, Daly River, Finke River, McArthur River, Roper River, Todd River and Victoria River.

National parks

Mount Sonder, the second highest mountain in the Northern Territory after nearby Mount Zeil, in West MacDonnell National Park

Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park

• 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
  • Katherine Gorge
• Palm Valley
• Tanami Desert
  • The Olgas
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
• Watarrka National Park
• West MacDonnell National Park

Uluru, (Ayers Rock) one of the most well known images of the Northern Territory

The Ranger Mine

Climate

The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones.

The northern end, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons, the wet (November to April) and dry season (May to October). During the dry season nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14°C, but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded. The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than 1,570 mm of rain falls in the north.

The central region is the desert centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, and is semi-arid with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March. Central Australia receives less than 250 mm of rain per year.

The highest maximum temperature recorded in the territory was 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) at Finke on 2 January 1960. The lowest minimum temperature was -7.5 °C (18.5 °F) at Alice Springs on 12 July 1976.^[10]

Economy

Mining in the Northern Territory contributes around $2.5 billion to the gross state product and employs 4,600 people. The Northern Territory mining industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals, petroleum and energy. 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; and uranium at Ranger. Newly developed mines include Bootu Creek and Frances Creek.

The Ghan, which runs across the Territory from north to south, in Alice Springs.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the major industries on the Northern Territory. Iconic destinations such as Uluru and Kakadu make the Northern Territory a popular 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. In 2005-06, 1.38 million people visited the Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion.

The territory is well known for being promoted with the slogan "You'll Never Never Know if you Never Never Go". This was implemented as a result of the Kennedy Review in 1992.

Transport

The Northern Territory is the most sparsely populated state or territory in Australia. Despite its sparse population there is a network of sealed roads connecting the major population centres, the neighboring states, and some other centres such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. The Stuart Highway, known as "The Track", runs north to south, connecting Darwin and Alice Springs to Adelaide. Some of the sealed roads are single lane bitumen. Many unsealed (dirt) roads connect the remoter settlements.

The Adelaide-Darwin Railway, a new standard gauge railway, connects Adelaide via Alice Springs with Darwin, replacing earlier narrow gauge railways which only went north as far as Alice Springs.

The Northern Territory was one of the few remaining places in the world with no speed restrictions on public roads. Since 1 January 2007 a default speed limit of 110 km/h applies on roads outside of urban areas (Inside urban areas of 40, 50 or 60 km/h). Speeds of up to 130 km/h are permitted on some major highways, such as the Stuart Highway.^[11]

As of June 2007 however road deaths were up 28.6% compared to the previous year. The road toll has also increased, by 35.7%.^[12]

Darwin Airport is the major domestic and international airport for the territory. Several smaller airports are also scattered throughout the tTerritory and are served by smaller airlines; including Alice Springs Airport, Connellan Airport near Uluru and Tennant Creek Airport.

Media

• 104.1 Territory FM (radio station)
• Northern Territory News (newspaper)
• ABC Television (Australia)
• ABC Local Radio

See also

• Darwin
• Towns in the Northern Territory
• Cities in the Northern Territory
• Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory
• List of people from Darwin
• Crime in the Northern Territory
• Northern Territory Police
• Highways in the Northern Territory
• Australian Aboriginal Prehistoric Sites

Notes

References

• Hill, Ernestine. 1951. The Territory: The classic saga of Australia's far north. Angus & Robertson. Reprint: 1995. ISBN 0-207-18821-1
• Govan, A. (2007) Broadband debate key to NT's future. N.T. Business Review, vol. N/A, no. N/A, p.7
• Morrison, P. (2000) a pilot implementation of internet access for remote aboriginal communities in the "Top end" Of Australia. Urban Studies, Vol. 37, No.10, pp. 1781-1792.
• Toyne, P. (2002) Northern Territory Governments Response to the House of Representatives Communications, Information Technology & the Arts Committee inquiry into Wireless Broadband Communications. In N.T. GOVERNMENT (Ed.) (pp. 3). Darwin: Northern Territory Government.
• Toyne, P. (2003) Remote Areas Telecommunications Strategy 2003-2008. In N. T. GOVERNMENT (Ed.) (pp.1- 32). Darwin N.T. viewed 6 February 2008, <http://www.nt.gov.au/dcis/it/docs/ntg_remote_telec_strat.pdf>

External links

• Northern Territory Government of Australia
• Northern Territory Visitor's Guide
• Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007
• Intervention Program in Indigenous communities and town camps
• Northern Territory Climate
• Northern-Territory Northern Territory Climate
• Northern Territory economy/mining
• Northern Territory Education
• Report on NT Education
• Northern Territory Universities
• Northern Territory Population estimates June 2007
• June 2007 NT population estimates

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