Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/15152
Title: We of the Never Never?: Constitutional misconceptions and political realities in pre-constituting the State of the Northern Territory
Contributor(s): Carne, Greg  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2013
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/15152
Abstract: "The Territory is, in one sense, poised to become a State. Whether it does, and when it does, and on what terms it does, will depend a great deal upon the people of the Territory." --Chief Justice Robert French. "Delaying drongos are a hardy breed quite capable of transmitting their genes to the third and fourth generation." --The Honourable Austin Asche AC QC. In 2011 and 2012, the long history of Northern Territory's attempts to achieve the grant of statehood was marked by the unusual circumstances surrounding the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly's passage of the 'Constitutional Convention (Election) Act', an Act providing for the election of delegates for a Constitutional Convention at a time to be proclaimed by the Minister. The election of Convention delegates was originally agreed, on a bipartisan basis, to occur in March 2012, with the first Convention to be held in April 2012, but was postponed to a time of the prospective elected government's choosing, at the earliest after the 2012 Northern Territory election. This point was reached nearly 10 years after the Martin government, elected in 2001, renewed the Territory's recent quest for statehood, which was initiated in the wake of the 1998 defeat of a statehood referendum and the referral to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs of statehood matters for inquiry and report in 1999. A Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee was established by resolution of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 2004. From 2005, the Statehood Steering Committee "developed and commenced an extensive education and information campaign about Northern Territory Statehood", designed around three key aspects: the provision of information and education; the development of a "draft Constitution in consultation with Territorians and the facilitation of a constitutional convention to finalise that Constitution"; and that the Northern Territory Government take the lead in discussions with the Commonwealth Government concerning the future terms and conditions of Northern Territory Statehood. Importantly, it can be observed that after a period of years, only the first of these three key aspects has been completed.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Southern Cross University Law Review, v.16, p. 41-86
Publisher: Southern Cross University
Place of Publication: Australia
ISSN: 1329-3737
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 180114 Human Rights Law
180108 Constitutional Law
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 480307 International humanitarian and human rights law
480702 Constitutional law
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 940203 Political Systems
940405 Law Reform
949999 Law, Politics and Community Services not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 230203 Political systems
230405 Law reform
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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