Central Australia (territory) instance of territory of Australia
Central Australia was a territory of Australia that existed from 1927 to 1931. It was formed from the split of the Northern Territory in 1927 alongside the territory of North Australia, the dividing line between the two being the 20th parallel south. The two territories were merged in 1931 to reform the Northern Territory. The seat of government of the territory was Stuart, a town that was commonly known as "Alice Springs" and would be officially renamed so in 1933.
In the decades since Federation, white settlement of the Northern Territory was felt to be lacklustre due to Commonwealth inefficiency and indifference. George Pearce, the interior minister, proposed the North Australia Commission to handle development of all of Australia north of 20 degrees. This Commission would make decisions locally rather than rely on the Commonwealth government. The states of Queensland and Western Australia, which also had territory north of 20 degrees, were excluded from the final proposals on the Commission, meaning that it would in practice only focus on the northern part of the Northern Territory.
A bill to create the Commission, introduced in 1926, passed as the Northern Australia Act 1926. This act, taking effect on 1 March 1927, concentrated the efforts of the Commission by splitting the Northern Territory by the 20th parallel. The territory of Central Australia was created as an incidental part of this division, and unlike North Australia was not subject to the Commission. Both territories were administered by a Government Resident appointed by the federal government, who was assisted by a half-elected Advisory Council of four people. Ordinances of the Northern Territory continued in the new territories, which maintained a common non-voting representative to the Australian House of Representatives. The area remained sparsely inhabited, with little development and a poorly-specialized judiciary. During its brief existence, Central Australia was the site of the Coniston massacre, the last sanctioned killing of aborigines in Australian history.
The Commission aided the development of North Australia to a fair degree, but was seen by critics as an extravagance and interested in the pastoral industry over local whites. The Great Depression starting in late 1929 increased opposition to the body, which was abolished by legislation in 1930. This act, which returned development of the Northern Territory to the federal government and reformed it as a territorial entity, took effect in 1931, ending the separate existences of North Australia and Central Australia in the process.
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