| Administrator of the Northern Territory | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Administrator | |
since 2 February 2023 | |
| Office of the Administrator | |
| Style | His Honour the Honourable |
| Residence | Government House, Darwin, |
| Seat | Darwin |
| Appointer | Governor-General on the advice of the Commonwealth Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, following consultation with the Northern Territory Chief Minister |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure (usually 5 years by convention) |
| Formation | 12 June 1931 |
| First holder | John A. Gilruth |
| Website | govhouse |
The administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the governor-general of Australia to represent the Crown in right of the Northern Territory.[1][a] They perform functions similar to those of a state governor.
Strictly speaking, the appointment of an administrator is made by the governor-general in Council, that is, the governor-general acting on the advice of the Australian government, rather than the advice of the government of the Northern Territory.[4] However, ministers have described the process as being based on "advice from the Australian and Northern Territory governments".[5]
Unlike an Australian state governor, the administrator is not the direct representative of the King in the Territory but is instead appointed by the King's representative in Australia, the governor-general, to administer the Territory in accordance with the Act. In practice, however, the administrator performs a similar constitutional role to that of a state governor.
The administrator formally appoints the chief minister of the Northern Territory and the members of the Cabinet after every election. In all but a few cases, they are required by convention to act on the Cabinet's advice. The Administrator gives royal assent to all bills passed by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Although the Governor-General (in practice, the Commonwealth Government) has the power to veto any territorial bill, in practice this right is almost never exercised.
The office of the deputy of the administrator was created in 1997.
In 2014, the governor-general granted current, future and living former administrators the title of The Honourable for life,[6] following the lead of Governors-General and Governors of New South Wales in granting the title.[citation needed]
The present administrator is Hugh Heggie.
- ^ "Role of the Administrator". Government House Northern Territory. 22 September 2023.
- ^ Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 (Cth) s 5.
- ^ Twomey, Anne (2008). "Responsible government and the divisibility of the Crown". Public Law (Winter): 748–50. ISSN 0033-3565 – via Westlaw UK.
- ^ "Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 - SECT 32 Office of Administrator". Australian Government. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Austlii.
- ^ "Dr Hugh Heggie PSM Appointed as Northern Territory Administrator" (Press release). Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. 8 December 2022.
- ^ Baker, Karen (30 July 2014). "Title Honourable for Administrators of the Northern Territory". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
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