Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Council, 1957–1960
This is a list of members of the Northern Territory Legislative Council from 23 January 1957 to 20 February 1960.
The council consisted of 14 members. Six members were elected to four single-member electorates (Alice Springs, Batchelor, Stuart and Tennant Creek), and one two-member electorate (Darwin). Seven members (called Official Members) were appointed by the Australian government, all of whom were senior public servants in the Northern Territory. The Administrator of the Northern Territory, James Archer, served as presiding officer (or president) of the council.[1]
The 1957 election had stressed the need for reform of the council, with virtually unanimous support in the council for elected members to constitute a majority. In 1958, a year after the first meeting of the council, every elected member resigned in frustration with the refusal of the federal government to announce such a reform. The resignations triggered by-elections on 28 June for all seats — in effect, although not in application of the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1947, another general election. All previous members were elected unopposed, except for Len Purkiss, who was re-elected with an increased majority in Tennant Creek.[1]
| Name | Party | Electorate/Title | Years in office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Adams | Appointed | Director of Mines | 1955–1970 |
| James Archer OBE | Appointed | Administrator | 1956–1961 |
| Hugh Barclay | Appointed | Director of Lands | 1948–1963 |
| Harold Brennan | Independent | Batchelor | 1955, 1956–1958, 1958–1971 |
| Paddy Carroll | Labor | Darwin | 1957–1958, 1958–1960 |
| Harry Giese | Appointed | Director of Welfare | 1954–1973 |
| Neil Hargrave | Independent | Alice Springs | 1954–1958, 1958–1969 |
| Alfred Humphry | Appointed | Director of Health | 1954–1958 |
| Alexander Lawrie | Appointed | Assistant Administrator | 1957–1958 |
| Reg Marsh | Appointed | Assistant Secretary, Department of Territories | 1955–1957, 1958–1962 |
| Wilhelm Petrick | Independent | Stuart | 1951–1958, 1958–1962 |
| Len Purkiss | Independent | Tennant Creek | 1951–1965 |
| Claude Reseigh | Appointed | 1959 | |
| Lionel Rose OBE | Appointed | Director of Animal Industry Branch | 1954–1958, 1962–1965 |
| Charles Stahl | Appointed | Acting Government Secretary | 1952–1953, 1954–1955, 1958 |
| Richard Ward | Independent Labor | Darwin | 1957–1958, 1958–1963 |
| Ronald Webb | Appointed | Chief Quarantine Officer | 1958–1960 |
| James Whittam | Appointed | Director of Animal Industry Branch | 1958–1963 |