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 the Northern Territory acquired limited self-government in 1978, the title of the head of government became chief minister with greatly expanded powers, though still somewhat less than those of a state premier.
Michael Patrick Francis Gunner is an Australian former politician who was the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2022. He was a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, holding the seat of Fannie Bay in Darwin from the retirement of then Chief Minister Clare Martin at the 2008 election until his resignation in July 2022.
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 party 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.
Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick is an Australian politician. She was an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, first elected in the seat of Goyder in the 2008 election. Prior to entering Parliament, Purick was the CEO of the NT Minerals Council for 16 years. Originally elected as a member of the Country Liberal Party, she became an independent in 2015.
The 2016 Northern Territory general election was held on Saturday 27 August 2016 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2016 are listed below.
Lia Emele Finocchiaro is an Australian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since August 2024. A member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP), she has represented the seat of Spillett in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since her election in 2016. Following the resignation of Gary Higgins on 1 February 2020, she became the Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory. Prior to this, she served as the member for Drysdale from 2012 to 2016.
Natasha Kate Fyles is an Australian politician and former teacher who served as the 12th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Minister for Health. She was the leader of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from May 2022 until her resignation in December 2023. She is a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the division of Nightcliff, a position she has held since August 2012. She previously served as 22nd attorney-general of the Northern Territory and the territory’s minister for Justice from 2016 to 2020.
Gary John Higgins is an Australian former politician. A member of the Country Liberal Party, he was elected to represent the seat of Daly in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly at the 2012 election. After the 2016 election, the CLP was reduced to only two members in the Legislative Assembly, with Higgins becoming party leader and Leader of the Opposition. Following health problems, he resigned both positions in favour of Lia Finocchiaro in February 2020, and retired at the 2020 election.
Chanston James "Chansey" Paech is an Australian politician. He is a Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Namatjira until 2020 and Gwoja thereafter. He is of Arrente, Arabana and Gurindji descent.
Eva Dina Lawler is an Australian politician. She was the chief minister of the Northern Territory from 2023 to 2024, holding office as the leader of the Territory Labor Party. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2016 to 2024, representing the electorate of Drysdale until her defeat at the 2024 Northern Territory general election. Before becoming chief minister she held ministerial office in the governments of Michael Gunner and Natasha Fyles.
The First Gunner Ministry was the first ministry of the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Michael Gunner. It came into operation on 31 August 2016, succeeding the Giles Country Liberal ministry, and ended on 7 September 2020, succeeded by the Second Gunner Ministry.
Ngaree Jane Ah Kit is an Australian politician from the Labor Party. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electoral division of Karama in Darwin from 2016 to 2024.
The 2020 Northern Territory general election was held on 22 August 2020 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
The 2024 Northern Territory general election was held on 24 August 2024 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.
The Fyles Ministry was the ministry of the 12th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Natasha Fyles. It came into operation on 13 May 2022 succeeding the second Gunner ministry. It was dissolved on 21 December 2023 and replaced by the Lawler ministry.
A by-election in the seat of Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory was held on 20 August 2022, following the resignation of Michael Gunner, the MLA for Fannie Bay and former chief minister, on 27 July 2022. Early voting started on Monday 8 August.
A leadership election was held in May 2022 to determine the successor to Michael Gunner as leader of the Territory Labor Party and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. Gunner announced his pending resignation on 10 May, following the birth of his second son and announcement of the 2022/23 Northern Territory budget. The leadership was confirmed unopposed; Natasha Fyles was elected as Leader, with Nicole Manison, a member of the right faction, remaining as Deputy Leader.
The 2023 Territory Labor Party leadership election was held on 20 December 2023 to elect a new leader of the Territory Labor Party and ex officio, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, following the resignation of Natasha Fyles as Chief Minister.
