{"id":"terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003","name":"Terrorism (Northern Territory) Request Act 2003","slug":"terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30574,"registerId":"nt-terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Terrorism (Northern Territory) Request Act 2003","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nTERRORISM (NORTHERN TERRITORY) REQUEST ACT 2003\nAs in force at 29 May 2003\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Definition.......................................................................................... 1\n3 Request for Commonwealth legislation ........................................... 1\n4 Operation of Act............................................................................... 1\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 29 May 2003\n____________________\nTERRORISM (NORTHERN TERRITORY) REQUEST ACT 2003\nAn Act to request the Parliament of the Commonwealth to enact\nparticular legislation relating to terrorism\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Terrorism (Northern Territory) Request\nAct 2003.\n2 Definition\nIn this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:\nreferred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation means the text\ncontained in Schedule 1 to the Terrorism (Commonwealth Powers)\nAct 2002 of New South Wales (Act No. 114 of 2002).\n3 Request for Commonwealth legislation\nThe Legislative Assembly requests the Parliament of the\nCommonwealth to enact an Act in, or substantially in, the terms of\nthe referred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation.\n4 Operation of Act\nThis Act does not affect the operation of any law of the\nCommonwealth made in accordance with the request made by this\nAct or in accordance with a law of a State referring the power to\nmake a law in, or substantially in, the terms of the referred\nCommonwealth Terrorism legislation.\n\nENDNOTES\nTerrorism (Northern Territory) Request Act 2003 2\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\nTerrorism (Northern Territory) Request Act 2003 (Act No. 23, 2003)\nAssent date 29 May 2003\nCommenced 29 May 2003","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Act is narrowly focused: a single, formal request that the Commonwealth enact terrorism legislation based on a specified external text. The measure has not expanded beyond that single purpose and does not add substantive powers or obligations itself. Therefore its scope has not grown beyond its original intent."},"complexity_factors":["Very short: 4 sections only (Short title; Definition; Request; Operation).","Single defined term: 1 defined term ('referred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation').","Cross‑jurisdictional reference: explicit cross‑reference to external legislation (Schedule 1 to the NSW Terrorism (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2002).","Modal language: use of open phrasing 'in, or substantially in, the terms of', which introduces interpretive uncertainty but not heavy internal complexity.","Simple operation clause: one non‑displacement clause referencing Commonwealth and State laws; no nested exceptions or extensive conditional logic."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this Act does (mechanically)**\n\n- The Act is a formal request from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to the Commonwealth Parliament.  It asks the Commonwealth to pass a terrorism law that is the same as, or very similar to, the text listed in Schedule 1 to the New South Wales Terrorism (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2002. (The Act defines that NSW text as the “referred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation”.)\n- The Act itself does not create new criminal offences, powers, or procedures in the Northern Territory. It simply requests that the Commonwealth enact legislation in the terms specified.\n- The Act also says it does not affect the operation of any Commonwealth law or any State law that is made in response to the same request or that refers power on substantially the same terms (so it is intended to sit alongside any Commonwealth or State laws enacted under the same model).\n\n**Who it affects and who decides**\n\n- Who decides: the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly made the request; the Commonwealth Parliament is the decision‑maker with respect to whether to enact the requested law.\n- Who is affected if the Commonwealth enacts the requested law: anyone subject to Commonwealth law in the Territory. That includes residents, visitors and businesses in the Northern Territory, and Commonwealth agencies that would enforce or operate the law.\n- Who pays/chooses behaviour: this Act itself imposes no direct financial obligations. If the Commonwealth enacts the requested legislation, costs of creating and enforcing that Commonwealth law (administration, courts, policing powers, compliance obligations) would follow the design of that new Commonwealth law and the budgetary arrangements then in place. The Act does not specify who pays those costs; that will depend on the Commonwealth law and on any subsequent arrangements between the Commonwealth and Territory.\n\n**Why it matters (stated purpose and practical implications)**\n\n- Stated purpose: to obtain from the Commonwealth a model of terrorism legislation (the NSW Schedule) to apply at the Commonwealth level.\n- Practical implication: passage of the requested Commonwealth law would mean terrorism‑related matters (offences, investigative powers, preventative measures, or other legal effects contained in the referred text) would be governed by Commonwealth statute rather than solely by Territory law. The precise legal and practical changes depend entirely on the content of the referred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation (the NSW Schedule 1 text).\n\n**Policy trade‑offs and implementation considerations**\n\n- Centralisation vs local variation: asking the Commonwealth to enact a model law aims for a uniform national framework, but it replaces or overlays Territory law with Commonwealth law for subjects covered by the enacted text. That can reduce legal variation between jurisdictions but may reduce Territory control over details.\n- Compliance and enforcement burdens: the Act itself creates no compliance obligations. If the Commonwealth enacts the requested law, individuals and organisations will face whatever compliance and enforcement rules that law contains (criminal offences, reporting duties, search or detention powers, licensing, etc.). The extent of administrative or business costs depends entirely on the enacted text.\n- Fiscal and agency impact: the Act does not allocate funding or operational responsibility. Implementation costs and enforcement responsibilities will depend on the Commonwealth law’s design and any intergovernmental arrangements that follow.\n- Legal clarity and uncertainty: because the request is to adopt an external text (“in, or substantially in, the terms”), there is some uncertainty about whether the Commonwealth would enact the text exactly or with modifications. That creates a degree of implementation risk until the Commonwealth’s final law is enacted.\n\n**Source claim vs consequences**\n\n- The Act’s only explicit legal effect is to make a request. Any claims that it will increase public safety, strengthen counter‑terrorism powers, or harmonise laws are statements about what an enacted Commonwealth law might do. Those outcomes depend on whether and how the Commonwealth adopts the referred text, and on the content of that text. The Act itself does not prescribe those substantive outcomes.\n\n(See sections 2–4 of the Act: definition of the referred text; the formal request; and the non‑displacement clause about laws made in accordance with the request.)"},"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":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation performs exactly the narrow, technical function it was designed for: making a formal request to the Commonwealth Parliament. It has not expanded beyond this original purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 sections total","Single defined term ('referred Commonwealth Terrorism legislation')","No cross-references to other NT legislation","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements","Operates by reference to external document (NSW Schedule 1) but does not reproduce it","Total length under 500 words"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis is a short, technical law where the Northern Territory Parliament formally asks the Australian Federal Parliament to pass specific national security legislation.\n\n**The key mechanism:**\n- The NT Legislative Assembly \"requests\" the Commonwealth to enact laws based on a model text that was already drafted by New South Wales (contained in Schedule 1 to NSW's *Terrorism (Commonwealth Powers) Act 2002*).\n- This is part of a cooperative federalism scheme where states and territories \"refer\" their constitutional powers to the Commonwealth, allowing the federal government to make laws that it otherwise couldn't make alone.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Directly:** Almost nobody — it's purely procedural between governments.\n- **Indirectly:** Everyone in Australia, because it enables the Commonwealth to pass uniform national terrorism laws that apply across all jurisdictions.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout these referral laws from each state and territory, the Commonwealth's power to legislate on terrorism would be limited and patchy. By passing this Act, the NT ensures that federal counter-terrorism laws can operate consistently nationwide. Section 4 clarifies that this request doesn't interfere with how the resulting Commonwealth laws actually work once passed.\n\n**In short:** This is the Northern Territory's formal \"permission slip\" to let the federal government make national terrorism laws on its behalf."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003","history":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003/history","analysis":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/terrorism-northern-territory-request-act-2003/documents"}}