NORTHERN TERRITORY: INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION
While it is only in the 12th and 10th Assemblies where something like a mathematical equation of proportionality has emerged with 6 out of 25 being similar to the overall proportion in the NT population, this appears to be realised, not necessarily by design, but perhaps not by accident either.
Political parties arguably recruit candidates to appeal to their constituencies. A long tradition of Aboriginal candidates in so called ‘bush seats’ has been practised in the Northern Territory by different political parties.
According to Charles Darwin University historian David Carment, the population of seven of the 25 Legislative Assembly electorates was, in 2001 ‘over half indigenous’. Yet not always do we see these electorates voting for Aboriginal candidates.
At the 2012 election for example, not one candidate from the First Nations Political Party was elected to the Northern Territory Assembly. The proportion of Aboriginal peoples in the Northern Territory is 29.8% as at June 2011, but there has also been a decline in the Territory’s share of the national indigenous population from 12.4% in June 2006 to 10.3% in June 2011. The development of
Aboriginal participation was as follows:
First Assembly - General Election 19 October 1974
Enrolment and voting were voluntary for Aboriginal people from 1974 until 1977, when if enrolled (still voluntary), they were required to vote. From 1980 compulsory voting and enrolment applied to all citizens over the age of 18.
Labor did not win any seats in the Assembly at the election in 1974. It was not until 1977 that Labor won their first six seats,
“Former Northern Territory Minister John Ah Kit said on this matter that the growth in the number of Aboriginal Members in the Northern Territory should be a source of pride to all Territorians and an indication that the Territory was moving beyond the politics of exclusion...”
including with an Aboriginal candidate in the remote central desert seat of MacDonnell (now called Namatjira). This first Aboriginal Assembly member was Mr Hyacinth Tungutalum, Member for Tiwi. of 65
one out of 19
Second Assembly - General Election 13 August 1977 In the context of the 1977 election, analysts Dean Jaensh and Peter Loveday wrote: The Aboriginal vote was central to the election. A large number of the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory were non-literate, isolated and politically uneducated and individuals and groups in the Northern Territory took steps to clarify the situation with the electoral office in relation to the non-literate voter. The major political parties were well aware of the value of the Aboriginal vote, and many allegations
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have been made over the years relating to the ‘abuse’ of the Aboriginal vote.
The use of compulsory preferential voting was particularly contentious and the Central Land Council and Central Australia Aboriginal Congress stated that the Country Liberal Party in collusion with the government in Canberra had ‘rigged the voting system’ allegedly to stop Aboriginals having a full say in the democratic process. The Country Liberals nominated two candidates in the seats of Tiwi, Arnhem and Victoria River. While two Labor candidates vied for Tiwi at this election. of 72
one out of 19
Third Assembly - General Election 7 June 1980 of 60
one out of 19
Fourth Assembly - General Election 3 December 1983
Some 18 months ahead of the 1983 election there was talk of the formation of an Aboriginal political party to contest seats at the election. On 19 June 1982 the NT News editorially criticised the move as divisive. The proposal did not reach fruition in time for the election.
Mr Maurie Japarta Ryan, who in 2012 became the Chair of the powerful Central Land Council, stood for the Democrats at this election. Mr Ryan was a founder of the First Nations Political Party formed in 2009 and stood (unsuccessfully) for the seat of Stuart at the 2012 election. A feature of past Northern Territory elections, which is no longer available to parties and candidates, was for there to be more than one candidate in
an electorate from the same political party. In this election the candidates for Arnhem, David Daniels and David Amos were both Country Liberals endorsed candidates. The idea being Mr Amos would pick up the non-Aboriginal vote at the mining lease at Groote Eylandt and Mr Daniels the Aboriginal vote elsewhere in the electorate Neither of them won. Labor’s Mr Wes Lanhupuy, a prominent Aboriginal man was the successful candidate. of 67 one out of 25
Fifth Assembly - General Election 7 March 1987
The fifth Assembly was the first time two Aboriginal people won seats. of 84 two out of 25
Sixth Assembly - General Election 27 October 1990 of 83
two out of 25
Seventh Assembly - General Election 4 June 1994 of 61
out of 25
Eighth Assembly - General Election 30 August 1997 out of 63
two out of 25
Ninth Assembly - General Election 18 August 2001
This election resulted in the first change of government in 27 years. of 88
four out of 25
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