At Least the Politicians Are The Same

Darwin, Australia
Wednesday, August 18, 2010

So today I made my way back to my new favourite place in Darwin.....Parliament House. It is my favourite place because the library provides free Wi-Fi access (maximum of 4 hours a day or 100 MB which ever comes first but still free) and because it is the home of the Northern Territory Government. Yesterday I was introduced to Question Period, so today I thought I would get to know the building and the government just a little bit better.

The Northern Territory Flag. The black and white symbolizing the aboriginals and Europeans who both originally inhabited the land, the orange for the desert (and there is a lot of it) and the flower........the desert rose.

I mentioned in a previous post that Northern Territory is not a State but a Territory. Basically what this means is that it is not completely self governed and for a while the members for the Federal House of Representatives had no and then limited voting powers on Federal matters. Things have changed slightly but the Federal Government still has the ability to meddle in Territory affairs.

Let me go back to the beginning to give you a brief history of the Territory’s political past. The area was first settled in the 1820’s. In 1863 it was actually a part of South Australia known as The Northern Territory of South Australia (South Australia is a state in case you weren’t sure). In early 1911 The Territory was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia which is technically where it remains today. At that time an Administrator was appointed by the Governor General to administer The Territory on behalf of the Government of Australia subject to any instructions given to him by the appropriate minister from time to time.

In 1947 The Northern Territory Administration Act was passed making provisions for a Northern Territory Legislative Council and the first election was held December 13 of that year. In 1974 the Legislative Council was replaced by a fully elected Member Legislative Assembly representing the 19 electoral divisions in the Territory.

In 1978 the Northern Territory Self-Government Act was past by the Commonwealth giving the Territory extended self-governing powers. Of course that is not to say that all powers were transferred to the Territory and the Government of Australia still has a say. Major Powers retained by the Commonwealth include Aboriginal land rights, the mining of uranium and other prescribed substances, industrial relations and control of the Commonwealth national parks. It also gives the Administrator and The Governor General the right to recommend amendments to proposed Northern Territory laws. So basically the Northern Territory's elected government has the right to do everything that other State Governments can do (minus those few major powers) but if the Commonwealth disagrees with things they can step in and say “no”. This has actually happened. In 1997 the Euthanasia Laws Act was enacted to remove the power of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly to make laws with respect to euthanasia and assisted suicide. I could go into the back-and-forth activity that happens between the Legislative Assembly and the Administrator and the Governor General but I think you get the point.

Of course this non-state status also affects the Territory’s Federal representation. The Northern Territory has 2 members in the Federal House of Representatives. Until 1959 these members were allowed to take part in debates but had no vote in the house. In 1959 they were given limited voting rights…..basically if the issue involved the Northern Territory they could vote. Finally in 1968 the members from the Territory were given full voting rights and now have the same status as all other members in the House. It is also good to know that The Territory is also able to elect 2 Senators to serve in the Australian Senate.

Yes, it is all very confusing and this should all be clear as mud by now. I am sure a bunch of you do not find this a interesting as I do (and the confusion just heightens my interest) but then I’m not forcing you to read this.

The backside of the building. Not the usual look for government buildings I have seen in the past but a new building deserves a new look.

Anyway, that was only part of the tour. We also learned about the building itself. It was opened in 1994 and built on the site where the Darwin Post Office once sat……before it was destroyed in the 1942 bombing of the City. It is designed to harmonize with the tropical climate in the area. It deflects about 80% of the direct sunlight and it serves as protection from a cyclone. They hope it will be in use for at least 100 years.

This is the plaque on the floor that marks where the post office use to be.

This is also on the floor but in the entrance way. The seven sections represent the 6 Australian states and the 1 Australian Territory.

The view from the Parliament lawn. Not bad. This view is also open to the public. A nice place to have a tea or coffee.

Eventually we went into the gallery of the Legislative Assembly. Here we got to see the Politicians at work again. No arguing yet but just presenting their sides of the story attempting to get things done. Not to mention all the checking of emails and updating of Facebook statuses. Everyone has a laptop connected to the Internet and didn't seem to pay attention to much else until they had to talk. There were also a few other people in the gallery who were very interested in what was being discussed. They were not so happy when our tour came in and started talking. Part of the gallery is behind glass and sound proof so that tour groups and school groups can come in and discuss things while Parliament is in session. I really like the set up. Of course you can also sit out in the open public gallery.....just don't plan on making any noise or you will be kicked out.

Later that afternoon I returned for Question period and I must say it was even more entertaining than the day before. Once again the discussion was on the same member of the Federal Parliament as yesterday but today they turned the focus from his divorce to his apparent habit of getting drunk and getting into fights (how many times that happened totally depends on who you talk to). Anyway, there was a lot of shouting and a few "shame shame"s thrown around. And at the end a few members nearly crossed the floor at each other. Seriously entertaining although if a fist fight had broken out it would be the highlight of my Australian adventure thus far.

And well that about sums up my day at the Parliament. Once again very entertaining. Who knew politics could be so fun. Oh wait.....I did.

Julie