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Statehood for the Northern Territory does not mean an additional layer of government.
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Statehood would mean we replace the Self Government Act, a law of the Federal Parliament, with our own constitution.
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It would mean the Chief Minister would be like the Premiers of the other States and he or she would probably be called Premier.
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It means the Administrator would be replaced by a Governor representing the Queen of Australia as our head of State.
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All States in Australia except Queensland have a legislative council. This is sometimes called the ‘upper house’ of government. In the Federal Parliament in Canberra it is called the Senate.
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An upper house reviews and comments on legislation coming from the Legislative Assembly and has a limited capacity to introduce its own legislation.
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Statehood does not mean we must have an additional house of parliament.
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The Statehood Steering Committee does not promote nor does it oppose the Northern Territory having a second house of parliament.
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An upper house could be a matter for consideration as part of the Statehood debate or at a later time. It may be something we contemplate in relation to increased population or other factors.
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Local Government already exists in the Northern Territory. At the moment local government representation is not Territory-wide. Some people think Local Government should be recognised in a constitution. Where it exists, Local Government is separate to Territory Parliament representation and Federal Parliament representation.
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Territorians who wish to comment on this issue should contact the Statehood Steering Committee to have their views recorded.
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Statehood will not change the existing spheres of government.
