The Henderson Ministry was the ministry of the eighth Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Paul Henderson. It was sworn in on 26 November 2007, following the resignation of Clare Martin and her deputy Syd Stirling. [1] [2]
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a State Premier. When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government was officially known as Majority Leader. This title was used in the first parliament (1974–1977) and the first eighteen months of the second. When self-government was granted the Northern Territory in 1978, the title of the head of government became Chief Minister.
Paul Raymond Henderson is a former Australian politician who was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2007 to 2012.
Clare Majella Martin is a former Australian journalist and politician. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995. She was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won a surprise victory at the 2001 territory election, becoming the first Labor Party (ALP) and first female Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. At the 2005 election, she led Territory Labor to the second-largest majority government in the history of the Territory, before resigning as Chief Minister on 26 November 2007.
Contents
- First (interim) ministry (26 November 2007 – 29 November 2007)
- Second ministry (30 November 2007 – 14 February 2008)
- Third ministry (15 February 2008 – 30 June 2008)
- Fourth ministry (1 July 2008 – 17 August 2008)
- Fifth ministry (18 August 2008 – 3 February 2009)
- Sixth ministry (4 February 2009 – 8 February 2009)
- Seventh ministry (9 February 2009 – 5 August 2009)
- Eighth ministry (6 August 2009 – 3 December 2009)
- Ninth ministry (4 December 2009 – 8 February 2010)
- Tenth ministry (9 February 2010 – 27 October 2011)
- Eleventh ministry (28 October 2011 – 28 August 2012)
- References
An interim ministry was initially sworn in, lasting for three days after the succession of Henderson and his deputy, Marion Scrymgour, prior to the constitution of a full ministry.
Marion Rose Scrymgour is a former Australian politician. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012, representing the electorate of Arafura. She was the Labor Party Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from November 2007 until February 2009, and was the highest-ranked indigenous woman in government in Australia's history. She was also the first indigenous woman to be elected to the Northern Territory Parliament.
The full ministry saw significant changes from the final Martin ministry, largely due to the decision of Martin and Deputy Chief Minister Syd Stirling to retire to the backbenches while serving out their terms. Delia Lawrie replaced Stirling as Treasurer, while backbenchers Matthew Bonson and Len Kiely were promoted to the ministry. The latter appointment was the cause of some controversy, as Kiely had been forced to resign as Deputy Speaker in 2006 after a sexual harassment incident. Kiely would later lose his seat at the 2008 election in a result largely attributed to the fallout from that scandal. The full ministry also included a number of changes to portfolio makeup; perhaps the most significant being the creation of a ministry for climate change, to be held by Henderson.
Sydney James Stirling is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 2008.
Delia Phoebe Lawrie is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2016, representing the electorate of Karama. She was a Labor member from 2001 to 2015, and served as their leader and Leader of the Opposition from 2012 to 2015. On 10 October 2015, following her loss of Labor preselection to recontest her seat at the 2016 election, she resigned from the party to sit as an independent.
Matthew Thomas Bonson is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Millner from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his election, he worked as a local solicitor. He was Minister for Sport and Recreation, Corporate and Information Services, Senior Territorians, Young Territorians and Minister Assisting the Chief Minister on Multicultural Affairs. His seat was abolished at the 2008 election and he was defeated by Dave Tollner for the new seat of Fong Lim.
On 15 February 2008, following the resignation of Elliot McAdam, Rob Knight was appointed to the ministry.
Elliot Arthur McAdam is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor Party (ALP) member for Barkly in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008.
Daniel Robert Knight is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2012, representing the remote electorate of Daly. He served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Central Australia from 2008 to 2012. He also served as the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2012, having been appointed to the position after the resignation of Len Kiely.
The Henderson government was re-elected at the 2008 election, but three ministers were defeated: Chris Natt, Len Kiely and Matthew Bonson. The three vacancies were notably filled by three indigenous MLAs, Malarndirri McCarthy, Alison Anderson and Karl Hampton.
General elections were held in the Northern Territory of Australia on 9 August 2008. Of the 25 seats in the Legislative Assembly, 23 were contested; two safe Labor seats were uncontested. The incumbent centre-left Labor Party (ALP), led by Chief Minister Paul Henderson won a narrow third term victory against the opposition centre-right Country Liberal Party (CLP), led by Terry Mills. Labor suffered a massive and unexpected swing against it, to hold a one-seat majority in the new parliament.
Christopher William Natt is a former Australian politician and Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Leonard Francis Kiely is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Sanderson in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008.
The Ministry ended when the Henderson government was defeated at the 2012 Northern Territory election, and was succeeded by the Mills Ministry on 4 September 2012.
The Northern Territory general election was held on Saturday 25 August 2012, which elected all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. The 11-year Labor Party government led by Chief Minister Paul Henderson was defeated in their attempt to win a fourth term against the opposition Country Liberal Party led by opposition leader Terry Mills with a swing of four seats, losing the normally safe Labor remote seats of Arafura, Arnhem, Daly and Stuart, whilst retaining their urban seats picked up at the 2001 election.
The Mills Ministry was the ministry of the ninth Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Terry Mills. It came into operation on 4 September, following the election of the Mills Country Liberal government in the 2012 election. Terry Mills and Robyn Lambley were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively on 29 August 2012.
