# Chief Minister of the Northern Territory

The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier.
When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government was officially known as majority leader. This title was used in the first parliament (1974–1977) and the first eighteen months of the second. When the Northern Territory acquired limited self-government in 1978, the title of the head of government became chief minister with greatly expanded powers, though still somewhat less than those of a state premier.
The chief minister is formally appointed by the administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whichever party holds the majority of seats in the unicameral Legislative Assembly. In times of constitutional crisis, the administrator can appoint someone else as chief minister, though this has never occurred.
Since 28 August 2024, following the 2024 Northern Territory general election, the chief minister is Lia Finocchiaro of the Country Liberal Party. She is the fourth female chief minister of the Northern Territory.

## History

The Country Liberal Party won the first Northern Territory election on 19 October 1974 and elected Goff Letts majority leader. He headed an Executive that carried out most of the functions of a ministry at the state level. At the 1977 election Letts lost his seat and party leadership. He was succeeded on 13 August 1977 by Paul Everingham (CLP) as Majority Leader. When the Territory attained self-government on 1 July 1978, Everingham became chief minister and his Executive became a Ministry.
Despite the Majority Leader's title, the Majority Leader's opposite number was not known as Minority Leader but instead the Leader of the Opposition.
In 2001, Clare Martin became the first Labor and female chief minister of the Northern Territory. Until 2004 the conduct of elections and drawing of electoral boundaries was performed by the Northern Territory Electoral Office, a unit of the Department of the chief minister. In March 2004 the independent Northern Territory Electoral Commission was established.
In 2013, Mills was replaced as chief minister and CLP leader by Adam Giles at the 2013 CLP leadership ballot on 13 March to become the first indigenous Australian to lead a state or territory government in Australia.
Following the 2016 election landslide outcome, Labor's Michael Gunner became chief minister; he was the first Chief Minister who was born in the Northern Territory. On 10 May 2022, Gunner announced his intention to resign. On 13 May 2022, Natasha Fyles was elected to the position by the Labor caucus. On 19 December 2023, Fyles resigned following controversy over undeclared shares in mining company South32. On 21 December 2023, Eva Lawler replaced Fyles by a unanimous decision of the Labor caucus.

## List of chief ministers of the Northern Territory

From the foundation of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974 until the granting of self-government in 1978, the head of government was known as the majority leader:

### Political parties

| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral division (Birth–death) | Election | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Executive | Administrator |
| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral division (Birth–death) | Election | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Political party | Executive | Administrator |
| 1 | | Goff Letts MLA for Victoria River (1928–2023) | 1974 | 19 October 1974 | 12 August 1977 | 2 years, 297 days | CLP | Letts | Jock Nelson (1973–1975) |
| 1 | | Goff Letts MLA for Victoria River (1928–2023) | 1974 | 19 October 1974 | 12 August 1977 | 2 years, 297 days | CLP | Letts | None (1975–1978) |
| 2 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | 1977 | 13 August 1977 | 30 June 1978 | 321 days | CLP | Everingham | None (1975–1978) |
| 2 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | 1977 | 13 August 1977 | 30 June 1978 | 321 days | CLP | Everingham | John England (1978–1981) |
From 1978, the position was known as the chief minister:
| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral division (Birth–death) | Election | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Administrator |
| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral division (Birth–death) | Election | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Political party | Ministry | Administrator |
| 1 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | — | 1 July 1978 | 15 October 1984 | 6 years, 106 days | CLP | Everingham | John England (1978–1981) |
| 1 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | 1980 | 1 July 1978 | 15 October 1984 | 6 years, 106 days | CLP | Everingham | John England (1978–1981) |
| 1 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | 1980 | 1 July 1978 | 15 October 1984 | 6 years, 106 days | CLP | Everingham | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 1 | | Paul Everingham MLA for Jingili (born 1943) | 1983 | 1 July 1978 | 15 October 1984 | 6 years, 106 days | CLP | Everingham | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 2 | | Ian Tuxworth MLA for Barkly (1942–2020) | — | 16 October 1984 | 13 May 1986 | 1 year, 209 days | CLP | Tuxworth | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 3 | | Stephen Hatton MLA for Nightcliff (born 1948) | — | 14 May 1986 | 12 July 1988 | 2 years, 59 days | CLP | Hatton | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 3 | | Stephen Hatton MLA for Nightcliff (born 1948) | 1987 | 14 May 1986 | 12 July 1988 | 2 years, 59 days | CLP | Hatton | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 4 | | Marshall Perron MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1942) | — | 13 July 1988 | 24 May 1995 | 6 years, 315 days | CLP | Perron | Eric Johnston (1981–1989) |
| 4 | | Marshall Perron MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1942) | — | 13 July 1988 | 24 May 1995 | 6 years, 315 days | CLP | Perron | James Muirhead (1989–1993) |
| 4 | | Marshall Perron MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1942) | 1990 | 13 July 1988 | 24 May 1995 | 6 years, 315 days | CLP | Perron | James Muirhead (1989–1993) |
| 4 | | Marshall Perron MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1942) | 1990 | 13 July 1988 | 24 May 1995 | 6 years, 315 days | CLP | Perron | Austin Asche (1993–1997) |
| 4 | | Marshall Perron MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1942) | 1994 | 13 July 1988 | 24 May 1995 | 6 years, 315 days | CLP | Perron | Austin Asche (1993–1997) |
| 5 | | Shane Stone MLA for Port Darwin (born 1950) | — | 25 May 1995 | 7 February 1999 | 3 years, 258 days | CLP | Stone | Austin Asche (1993–1997) |
| 5 | | Shane Stone MLA for Port Darwin (born 1950) | 1997 | 25 May 1995 | 7 February 1999 | 3 years, 258 days | CLP | Stone | Austin Asche (1993–1997) |
| 5 | | Shane Stone MLA for Port Darwin (born 1950) | 1997 | 25 May 1995 | 7 February 1999 | 3 years, 258 days | CLP | Stone | Neil Conn (1997–2000) |
| 6 | | Denis Burke MLA for Brennan (born 1948) | — | 8 February 1999 | 27 August 2001 | 2 years, 200 days | CLP | Burke | Neil Conn (1997–2000) |
| 6 | | Denis Burke MLA for Brennan (born 1948) | — | 8 February 1999 | 27 August 2001 | 2 years, 200 days | CLP | Burke | John Anictomatis (2000–2003) |
| 7 | | Clare Martin MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1952) | 2001 | 27 August 2001 | 26 November 2007 | 6 years, 91 days | TL | Martin | John Anictomatis (2000–2003) |
| 7 | | Clare Martin MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1952) | 2001 | 27 August 2001 | 26 November 2007 | 6 years, 91 days | TL | Martin | Ted Egan (2003–2007) |
| 7 | | Clare Martin MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1952) | 2005 | 27 August 2001 | 26 November 2007 | 6 years, 91 days | TL | Martin | Ted Egan (2003–2007) |
| 7 | | Clare Martin MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1952) | 2005 | 27 August 2001 | 26 November 2007 | 6 years, 91 days | TL | Martin | Tom Pauling (2007–2011) |
| 8 | | Paul Henderson MLA for Wanguri (born 1962) | — | 26 November 2007 | 28 August 2012 | 4 years, 276 days | TL | Henderson | Tom Pauling (2007–2011) |
| 8 | | Paul Henderson MLA for Wanguri (born 1962) | 2008 | 26 November 2007 | 28 August 2012 | 4 years, 276 days | TL | Henderson | Tom Pauling (2007–2011) |
| 8 | | Paul Henderson MLA for Wanguri (born 1962) | 2008 | 26 November 2007 | 28 August 2012 | 4 years, 276 days | TL | Henderson | Sally Thomas (2011–2014) |
| 9 | | Terry Mills MLA for Blain (born 1957) | 2012 | 29 August 2012 | 13 March 2013 | 196 days | CLP | Mills | Sally Thomas (2011–2014) |
| 10 | | Adam Giles MLA for Braitling (born 1973) | — | 14 March 2013 | 30 August 2016 | 3 years, 169 days | CLP | Giles | Sally Thomas (2011–2014) |
| 10 | | Adam Giles MLA for Braitling (born 1973) | — | 14 March 2013 | 30 August 2016 | 3 years, 169 days | CLP | Giles | John Hardy (2014–2017) |
| 11 | | Michael Gunner MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1976) | 2016 | 31 August 2016 | 13 May 2022 | 5 years, 255 days | TL | Gunner | John Hardy (2014–2017) |
| 11 | | Michael Gunner MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1976) | 2016 | 31 August 2016 | 13 May 2022 | 5 years, 255 days | TL | Gunner | Vicki O'Halloran (2017–2023) |
| 11 | | Michael Gunner MLA for Fannie Bay (born 1976) | 2020 | 31 August 2016 | 13 May 2022 | 5 years, 255 days | TL | Gunner | Vicki O'Halloran (2017–2023) |
| 12 | | Natasha Fyles MLA for Nightcliff (born 1978) | — | 13 May 2022 | 21 December 2023 | 1 year, 222 days | TL | Fyles | Vicki O'Halloran (2017–2023) |
| 12 | | Natasha Fyles MLA for Nightcliff (born 1978) | — | 13 May 2022 | 21 December 2023 | 1 year, 222 days | TL | Fyles | Hugh Heggie (since 2023) |
| 13 | | Eva Lawler MLA for Drysdale (born 1962) | — | 21 December 2023 | 28 August 2024 | 251 days | TL | Lawler | Hugh Heggie (since 2023) |
| 14 | | Lia Finocchiaro MLA for Spillett (born 1984) | 2024 | 28 August 2024 | Incumbent | 181 days | CLP | Finocchiaro | Hugh Heggie (since 2023) |