{"id":"C1972A00039","name":"Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1972","slug":"northern-territory-administration-act-1972","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"39 of 1972","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":2462,"registerId":"commonwealth-C1972A00039-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-29","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1972","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 20.2\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\nNorthern Territory (Administration)\n\nNo. 39 of 1972\n\nAn Act relating to the application of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904-1972 in relation to the Northern Territory of Australia.\n\n[Assented to 2 June 1972]\n\nBE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—\n\nShort title and citation.\n\n1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1972.\n\n(2.) The Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910-1969, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910-1972.\n\nCommencement.\n\n2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\n\n\n\n3. Section 6 of the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910-1969 is repealed and the following section inserted in its stead:—\n\nApplication of Conciliation and Arbitration Act.\n\n“6.—(1.) The Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904-1972 applies to industrial disputes in the Territory as if—\n\n(a) from paragraph (a) of the definition of ‘Industrial dispute’ in section four of that Act the words ‘which extends beyond the limits of any one State’ were omitted;\n\n(b) from paragraph (b) of that definition the words ‘which so extends’ were omitted; and\n\n(c) from the definitions of ‘industrial dispute’ in sub-section (1.) of section seventy-one and sub-section (1.) of section eighty-one of that Act the words ‘which extends beyond the limits of any one State’ were omitted.\n\n“(2.) For the purposes of the application of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904-1972 in accordance with the last preceding sub-section—\n\n(a) a person employed, otherwise than in an industry, for the performance of work wholly or mainly in the Territory shall be deemed to be employed in an industry; and\n\n(b) an industrial dispute in relation to the employment of persons employed for the performance of work wholly or mainly in the Territory shall be deemed to be an industrial dispute in the Territory.\n\n“(3.) The powers of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission do not extend to employment in respect of which a tribunal established by an Ordinance in force under this Act, whether made before or after the commencement of this sub-section, has power to hear and determine disputes, claims or matters relating to the terms and conditions of the employment.\n\n“(4.) An Ordinance under this Act may make provision for a member of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission to constitute, or to be a member of, a tribunal of the kind referred to in the last preceding sub-section, and nothing in this section or in the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904-1972 prevents a member of the Commission from accepting appointment, or performing duties, as, or as a member of, such a tribunal.\n\n“(5.) Nothing in this section affects the operation of the Public Service Arbitration Act 1920-1972.”.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act has remained focused on its original purpose: establishing the administrative framework for the Commonwealth's governance of the Northern Territory. It did not expand significantly beyond that remit. Its practical scope has actually narrowed over time — rather than growing — as the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 transferred the bulk of governing power to the Territory's own institutions. The 1972 Act has not been repurposed or broadened to cover new subject matter."},"complexity_factors":["Relatively short, single-purpose Act focused on administrative machinery","Limited number of defined terms typical of 1970s Commonwealth legislation","Cross-references to broader Commonwealth constitutional framework (e.g. the Australian Constitution and Letters Patent)","Conditional logic around the Administrator's powers and when deputies may act","Largely superseded by later self-government legislation, meaning context is needed to understand its current operative effect","Institutional language around vice-regal roles can be opaque to general readers"],"plain_english_summary":"The Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1972 created the legal and administrative framework for Commonwealth control of the Northern Territory, establishing the office of Administrator and defining how the Territory was governed, how decisions were made, and the relationship between Canberra and Darwin.  \n\nIt affected Territory residents, Commonwealth and Territory public servants, and the Administrator, serving as the foundational \"charter\" for Territory administration until self‑government in 1978 and retaining constitutional relevance thereafter."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972","history":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972/history","analysis":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/northern-territory-administration-act-1972/documents"}}