{"id":"legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008","name":"Legislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008","slug":"legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30178,"registerId":"nt-legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Legislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS) ACT 2008\nAs in force at 30 November 2018\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1\n3 Definitions ........................................................................................ 1\n4 Registration of members' interests .................................................. 2\n5 Register of interests......................................................................... 2\n6 Contempt of Legislative Assembly................................................... 3\n7 Transitional provision for commencement of this Act ...................... 3\n8 Repeals ........................................................................................... 4\nSchedule\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 30 November 2018\n____________________\nLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS) ACT 2008\nAn Act to provide for the disclosure of interests by Members of the\nLegislative Assembly and for related purposes\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Legislative Assembly (Disclosure of\nInterests) Act 2008.\n2 Commencement\nThis Act commences on the date fixed by the Administrator by\nGazette notice.\n3 Definitions\nIn this Act:\nAssembly means the Legislative Assembly.\nClerk means the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.\nCommittee of Members' Interest means a parliamentary\ncommittee (whether or not established under that name) assigned\nby resolution of the Assembly to act as the Committee of Members'\nInterests for this Act.\nmember means a member of the Legislative Assembly.\nregistrable interest means an interest or benefit designated as a\nregistrable interest in the Schedule.\nrelated person, of a member, means a person who is:\n(a) a spouse or de facto partner of the member; or\n\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 2\n(b) a child of the member who is wholly or mainly dependent on\nthe member for support.\nNote\nThis Act is closely modelled on resolutions of the House of Representatives for\ndisclosure and registration of interests. However, a significant difference between\nthis Act and the Commonwealth resolutions is that, in this Act, a de facto partner\n(including a same sex partner) is treated in the same way as a spouse.\nrequired information, for a registrable interest, means the\ninformation designated in the Schedule as required information for\nthe registrable interest.\n4 Registration of members' interests\n(1) Within 28 days after making and subscribing an oath or affirmation\nas a member, the member must give the Clerk a statement\nspecifying:\n(a) the member's registrable interests; and\n(b) the registrable interests, of which the member is aware, of\neach related person of the member.\n(2) The statement must include interests held at the date of the\nmember's election (or re-election) and alterations of interests that\noccurred between that date and the date of completing the\nstatement.\n(3) A member must give notice to the Clerk of any alteration to the\nmember's registrable interests, or those of a related person of the\nmember, within 28 days after the member becomes aware of the\nalteration.\n(4) A statement of registrable interests, or a notice about an alteration\nto registrable interests, must:\n(a) be in a form determined by the Committee of Members'\nInterests; and\n(b) specify the required information for each registrable interest.\n5 Register of interests\n(1) The Clerk must keep a register of interests disclosed under this Act.\n(2) The register is to be kept as directed by the Committee of Members'\nInterests.\n\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 3\n(3) The register is to be available for inspection under reasonable\nconditions to be laid down by the Committee of Members' Interests\nfrom time to time.\n(4) In determining conditions for inspection, the Committee of\nMembers' Interests must give effect to the principle that the\ninformation recorded in the register should be generally available to\nthe public unless there is good reason to restrict its availability.\n(5) Despite subsections (3) and (4), the ICAC or a person authorised in\nwriting by the ICAC, may inspect and take a copy of, or extract\nfrom, the register at any time.\n(6) The ICAC may also inspect and take a copy of, or extract from, the\nregister as kept by the Clerk for previous sessions of the Legislative\nAssembly, including the registrable interests disclosed by former\nmembers.\n6 Contempt of Legislative Assembly\n(1) A member commits a contempt of the Legislative Assembly if the\nmember:\n(a) knowingly fails to give to the Clerk a statement of registrable\ninterests as and when required by this Act; or\n(b) knowingly fails to give notice to the Clerk about any alteration\nto registrable interests as and when required by this Act; or\n(c) knowingly gives false or misleading information to the Clerk in\nrelation to registrable interests.\n(2) The contempt is to be dealt with under the Legislative Assembly\n(Powers and Privileges) Act 1992.\n7 Transitional provision for commencement of this Act\n(1) For each member, the Clerk must transfer to the register\ninformation given, under the Legislative Assembly (Register of\nMembers' Interests) Act 1982, after 30 June 2008 by the member.\n(2) Within 1 month after the commencement, the Clerk must give to\neach member written notice about the information transferred to the\nregister.\n(3) Within 2 months after the commencement, each member must give\nto the Clerk:\n(a) a statement of registrable interests or a notice about an\nalteration to registrable interests, that complies with\n\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 4\nsection 4(4), relating to the member's registrable interests and\nthe registrable interests of which the member is aware for\neach related person of the member; or\n(b) a written notice stating no alteration is required to the\nmember's registrable interests or the registrable interests of\nwhich the member is aware for each related person of the\nmember.\nNote\nAfter this process is completed, section 4(3) will apply to an alteration relating to\nthe register.\n(4) In this section:\ncommencement means commencement of this section.\nregister means the register mentioned in section 5.\n8 Repeals\nThe following Acts are repealed:\n(a) Legislative Assembly (Register of Members' Interests)\nAct 1982 (Act No. 49 of 1982);\n(b) Legislative Assembly (Register of Members' Interests)\nAmendment Act 1987 (Act No. 10 of 1987).\n\nSchedule\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 5\nSchedule\nsection 3, definitions registrable interests\nand required information\nRegistrable interest Required information\nShareholding in a public or private\ncompany (including a holding\ncompany)\nThe name of the company\nInterest as trustee or beneficiary in a\nfamily or business trust (but not an\ninterest as a trustee in a trust in which\nneither the member, nor a related\nperson to a member, is a beneficiary)\nThe name of the trust, the nature of\nits operation, the nature of the interest\nInterest as owner of real estate The location (suburb or area only)\nand the purpose for which it is owned\nRegistered company directorship The name of the company\nInterest in partnership The name of the partnership, the\nnature of the interest, and the\nactivities of the partnership\nLiability The nature of the liability and the\ncreditor concerned\nBonds, debentures or similar\ninvestments\nThe nature of the investment\nSaving or investment account The nature of the account and the\nname of the bank or other institution\nconcerned\nAnother asset (excluding household\nand personal effects) valued at over\n$7,500\nThe nature of each asset\nGifts received since the date of the\nmember's election and exceeding\n$750 in value if received from official\nsources or $300 in value if received\nfrom other sources (but a gift received\nby a member or a related person from\na family member or personal friend in\na purely personal capacity is not a\nThe nature and date of the gift and\nthe person from whom it was received\n\nSchedule\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 6\nregistrable interest unless the\nmember judges that an appearance\nof conflict of interest may be seen to\nexist\nSponsored travel or hospitality\nreceived since the date of the\nmember's election and exceeding\n$300 in value\nThe nature and date of the travel or\nhospitality and the name of the\nsponsor\nMembership of an organisation where\nconflict of interest with a member's\npublic duties could foreseeably arise\nor be seen to arise\nThe name of the organisation\nAny other interest where a conflict of\ninterest with a member's public duties\ncould foreseeably arise or be seen to\narise\nThe nature of the interest\nAny other substantial source of\nincome\nThe nature of the source of income\n\nENDNOTES\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 7\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nLegislative Assembly (Disclosure of Interests) Act 2008 (Act No. 34, 2008)\nAssent date 8 December 2008\nCommenced 12 August 2009 (Gaz S43, 12 August 2009)\nIndependent Commissioner Against Corruption (Consequential and Related\nAmendments) Act 2018 (Act No. 3, 2018)\nAssent date 21 February 2018\nCommenced 30 November 2018 (s 2, s 2 Independent Commissioner\nAgainst Corruption Act 2017 (Act No. 23, 2017) and Gaz S94,\n30 November 2018)\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22 of 2018) to: ss 1, 6 and 7.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\ns 5 amd No. 3, 2018, s 20","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Compared with earlier arrangements and models, the Act explicitly treats de facto partners the same as spouses (s3 note) and grants the ICAC direct access to the register, including historical records (s5(5)–(6)). It also repeals the prior Register of Members' Interests Acts and requires transfer of previously reported information into the new register (s7, s8), expanding who is covered and who may access the register."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple timed reporting obligations: initial statement within 28 days of oath/affirmation and 28‑day update requirement for changes (s4(1), s4(3)).","Coverage extends beyond the member to ‘related persons’ (spouse or de facto partner, dependent children), expanding disclosure scope and information to be gathered (s3; note to s3).","Committee of Members' Interests has procedural discretion to set the form of statements and inspection conditions, creating administrative rule‑making power (s4(4)(a), s5(2)–(4)).","Direct ICAC access to inspect and copy the current and historical register without the Committee’s conditions (s5(5)–(6)), introducing an external oversight exception to public‑access rules.","Enforcement is framed as contempt of the Assembly and is dealt with under the Legislative Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act 1992, linking to another legal process (s6(1)–(2)).","Compliance detail in the Schedule: multiple categories of registrable interests and monetary thresholds (gifts, assets) require varied reporting (Schedule).","Transitional and repeal mechanics require transfer of prior registers and member confirmations, adding short‑term administrative steps (s7, s8)."],"plain_english_summary":"This law requires members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to declare specified financial and other interests for themselves and close related persons (spouse or de facto partner, and dependent children). Members must file an initial statement within 28 days of swearing in and notify changes within 28 days; the Clerk keeps a register that is generally public but subject to conditions, and the ICAC has inspection access. Failure or false disclosure is a contempt matter (s4, s5, s6)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of establishing a disclosure regime for members' interests. The 2018 amendment (section 5) added ICAC access provisions, but this was a logical extension of the transparency framework rather than a scope expansion beyond the Act's original intent of ensuring accountability and preventing conflicts of interest."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute with only 8 sections plus a Schedule","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to the Schedule and one external Act for contempt procedures)","Straightforward conditional logic (28-day timeframes, threshold values for gifts/assets)","Single definition section with 6 defined terms","Schedule contains a simple table format mapping interest types to disclosure requirements","No nested exceptions or complex procedural requirements","Clear, direct language throughout (e.g., 'must give', 'is to be kept')"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis law requires Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to publicly disclose their financial interests and those of their close family members. It's designed to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain public trust in politicians.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n*   **Members of the Legislative Assembly** – they must disclose their own interests and those of their spouse/de facto partner and dependent children.\n*   **The Clerk of the Assembly** – maintains the public register of these disclosures.\n*   **The Committee of Members' Interests** – a parliamentary committee that sets the rules for how disclosures are made and how the public can view them.\n*   **The Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC)** – has unrestricted access to inspect the register at any time.\n\n**What must be disclosed:**\n\nMembers must register a wide range of interests within 28 days of being sworn in, and update the register within 28 days of any changes. These include:\n\n*   **Financial interests:** Shareholdings, company directorships, trusts, real estate, partnerships, debts, investments, bank accounts, and other assets worth over $7,500.\n*   **Gifts and hospitality:** Gifts over $750 (from official sources) or $300 (from others), and sponsored travel/hospitality over $300.\n*   **Organisational memberships:** Memberships that could conflict with their public duties.\n*   **Other income sources:** Any substantial source of income.\n\n**Key features:**\n\n*   **Public transparency:** The register is generally available for public inspection, though the Committee can set reasonable conditions.\n*   **ICAC access:** The anti-corruption body has special powers to inspect the register without restrictions.\n*   **Penalties:** Knowingly failing to disclose, or providing false information, is treated as \"contempt of the Assembly\" – a serious parliamentary offence dealt with under separate powers and privileges legislation.\n*   **Inclusivity:** The law explicitly treats de facto partners (including same-sex partners) the same as spouses – a deliberate difference from the Commonwealth model it was based on.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis law ensures that Northern Territory voters can see what financial interests their elected representatives have, helping to prevent situations where politicians might make decisions that benefit themselves, their families, or their business associates rather than the public interest."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008","history":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008/history","analysis":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/legislative-assembly-disclosure-of-interests-act-2008/documents"}}