Territories & national capitalDepartment of State
Department of the Northern Territory
19 December 1972 – 6 June 1975
Department of State responsible for the Commonwealth's administration of the Northern Territory through the Northern Territory Administration, including lands, police and public services, and the Territory's constitutional development.
How it came into existence
Created by the Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 December 1972 from the Northern Territory functions of the abolished Department of the Interior. Kep Enderby was Minister for the Northern Territory until October 1973, when Rex Patterson took the portfolio alongside Northern Development.
- Administration of the Northern Territory
Changes during its life
- Aboriginal welfare in the Northern Territory (Welfare Branch)
How it ended
Merged with the Department of Northern Development on 6 June 1975 to form the Department of Northern Australia.
- Administration of the Northern Territory
Main functions
- Administration of the Northern Territory (Northern Territory Administration)
- Northern Territory lands, police and public services
- Constitutional development, including the first fully elected Legislative Assembly (1974)
- Reconstruction of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy (December 1974)
- Aboriginal welfare in the Territory until its transfer to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1973
Bodies in this portfolio (1)
- Welfare Branch 1954–1973
Lineage
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