The Government of the Northern Territory

by Alistair Heatley

University of Queensland Press, 1979, [First Edition], ISBN 0702211400, lightly illustrated, hardcover, dustjacket

Good Condition, some edge and shelf wear, some rubbing to edge and corners, previous owners inscription on front end paper, one or two pages have green marker scribble, dustjacket shows a little edge and shelf wear bumping to top of spine, sunned spine (see photographs)

“Because of its isolation and the limitations imposed by the physical environment, the Northern Territory has always been, and will probably remain, sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped.  In the past this has meant a heavy dependence on the controlling power – at first the colony of New South Wales, then South Australia, and from 1911, the Commonwealth.  In the coming years this dependence will influence the kind of self-government the Territory will achieve and whether or not statehood is granted, or accepted.
There are other factors that set the Northern Territory apart from the states of the Commonwealth, notably the proportion of Aborigines in the population and the effect of their land claims on mining and economic development.  In his authoritative survey of the government of the Northern Territory, Alistair Heatley discusses these factors and examines the historical and geographic setting of the Territory, traces its constitutional and legislative development, outlines its administrative structure, looks at political attitudes and the role of political parties, pressure groups and local government, and speculates on the prospects for the future.”