Local government areas of the Northern Territory explained

The Northern Territory is a federal Australian territory in north-central Australia. It is the third largest Australian federal division with an area of 1348094.3km2 but the least populous with inhabitants as at June 2019.^[1] The Northern Territory is divided administratively into 17 Local government areas (LGAs) generally known as Councils who are responsible for providing local government services.^[2]

Area types

As of 1 July 2008, there were two classifications of local government in the Northern Territory:

1. Municipalities (predominantly inner-city suburban areas and smaller rural towns), of which there were five; and
2. Shires or Regions (predominantly rural or outer suburban areas), of which there were eleven shire councils.

The Northern Territory was unusual as a comparatively large share of the territory's population lived in unincorporated areas. In 2006, prior to the reorganisation of local government areas in the territory, 92 percent of the land area (1237999km2 out of 1349130km2) with 16 percent of the population (30,523 out of 192,898), was unincorporated. This anomaly is due to the territory's very low population density, just 0.16 people per km² (0.099 people per sq mi).^[3]

Most of the unincorporated areas disappeared as a result of local government reform in 2008. The area remaining unincorporated is 19790km2, 1.47 percent of the total,^{[4] [1]} and contains 3.0 percent of the population in June 2019.^[1]

By comparison, in the only other states or territories in Australia with unincorporated areas, only 0.02% of the population of New South Wales, 0.002% of Victoria's population and 0.6% of the population of South Australia, live in unincorporated areas.

Current local government areas

Local government area	Council seat	Region	Type	Year est.	Land area	Population^[5]	class=unsortable scope="col" rowspan=2	Notes
km^2	sq mi	2021	2022
		Central Australia	Town		328km2
			Region		322713km2
	Belyuen		Shire		41km2
	Alice Springs	Central Australia	Region		281312km2
		Greater Darwin	Council		2056km2
		Greater Darwin	City		111km2			Darwin Town and District Council formed, 1874; redesignated Darwin Town Council, 1915; redesignated Municipality of Darwin, 1955; redesignated City of Darwin, 1959
		Arnhem Land	Region		33310km2
		Katherine	Town		7417km2
	Freds Pass	Greater Darwin	Council		2903km2
	Alice Springs	Central Australia	Region		268329km2
		Greater Darwin	City		53km2
	Katherine	Katherine	Region		185210km2
	Darwin	Greater Darwin	Region		7483km2
	Katherine	Katherine	Region		153287km2			De-amalgamated in 2014 into Victoria Daly and West Daly Regional Councils
		Greater Darwin	Shire		6km2			Formerly the Cox Peninsula Community Government Council, established on 28 April 1995.
		Arnhem Land	Region		49675km2
	Wadeye	Katherine	Region	^[6]	14070km2			Part of Victoria Daly Regional Council from 2008 until 2014 de-amalgamation

Former local government areas

Prior to 1 July 2008, local government areas in the Northern Territory were classified as either :

• Community Government Councils of which 51 existed,
• Incorporated Associations (Commonwealth) of which three existed,
• Municipalities of which six existed and
• Special Purpose Towns of which there is only one example.

Towns

• Town of Jabiru (special purpose town)
• Town of Tennant Creek

Community Government Councils

• Alpurrurulam CGC
• Angurugu CGC
• Anmatjere CGC
• Arltarlpilta CGC
• Belyuen CGC (now Belyuen Shire)
• Binjari CGC
• Borroloola CGC
• Coomalie CGC (now Coomalie Shire)
• Cox Peninsula CGC (now Wagait Shire)
• Daguragu CGC
• Elliott District CGC
• Jilkminggan CGC
• Kunbarllanjnja CGC
• Lajamanu CGC
• Ltyentye Apurte CGC
• Marngarr CGC
• Mataranka CGC
• Nauiyu Nambiyu CGC
• Numbulwar Numburindi CGC
• Nyirranggulung Mardrulk Ngadberre Regional Council
• Pine Creek CGC
• Tapatjatjaka CGC
• Thamarrurr Regional Council
• Timber Creek CGC
• Tiwi Islands CGC (now Tiwi Islands Region)
• Walangeri Ngumpinku CGC
• Wallace Rockhole CGC
• Watiyawanu CGC
• Yuendumu CGC
• Yugul Mangi CGC

Incorporated Communities

• Aherrenge Community
• Ali Curung Community
• Amoonguna Community
• Aputula Community
• Areyonga Community
• Galiwin'ku Community
• Gapuwiyak Community
• Ikuntji Community
• Imanpa Community
• Kaltukatjara Community
• Maningrida Community
• Milingimbi Community
• Milyakburra Community
• Minjilang Community
• Mutitjulu Community
• Nganmarriyanga Community
• Ntaria Community (Hermannsburg)
• Nyirrpi Community
• Papunya Community
• Peppimenarti Community
• Ramingining Community
• Umbakumba Community
• Urapuntja Aboriginal Corporation
• Walungurru Community
• Warruwi Community
• Yuelamu Community

Unincorporated Area

• Unincorporated Area: A contiguous 92 percent of the area did not belong to any local government area. The LGAs were enclaves within unincorporated territory.

See also

• Local government in Australia
• List of places in the Northern Territory by population

Notes and References

1. Web site: 3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2018-19: Population Estimates by Local Government Area, 2018 to 2019 . Australian Bureau of Statistics. 25 March 2020. 23 August 2020. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2019.
2. http://www.lgant.nt.gov.au/home/nt_local_government/history/ Northern Territory LGA History
3. Web site: Population of Northern Territory 2022 . 2022-04-24.
4. Web site: DLGH – Bushtel | Northern Region . 2009-07-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090711190142/http://www.bushtel.nt.gov.au/northern_territory/region1 . 11 July 2009 . and Web site: DLGH – Bushtel | Alice Springs . 2009-07-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090711185910/http://www.bushtel.nt.gov.au/northern_territory/region3 . 11 July 2009 .
5. Web site: 2023-04-20 . Regional population, 2021-22 financial year Australian Bureau of Statistics . 2023-05-03 . Australian Bureau of Statistics.
6. https://dhcd.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/155922/West_Daly_Restructure_Order_2014.pdf