Please Note - all dates are postponed until further notice.
The Constitutional Convention is required to draft a constitution for a new state. It will be held in two parts.
The First Convention will take place from 21 to 29 April 2012 at Parliament House in Darwin and at the Darwin Convention Centre.
The First Convention will be followed by a community Consultation Period (about twelve months) to consider a First Draft Constitution.
The Second Convention will convene in Alice Springs during 2013 to consider the Consultation Period outcomes and ratify a Final Draft Constitution for presentation to the Legislative Assembly.
Delegates will be elected to represent Territorians at the Convention.
The election of Delegates will take place on 24 March 2012 in conjunction with the Local Government elections.
Elected Delegates will attend both Conventions.
There will be a total of 75 elected delegates and 50 will have voting rights at any one time.
The 50 Voting Delegates will be the first two from each Northern Territory electorate having obtained the most votes. The third Delegate from each electorate will be a Reserve Delegate who will participate during the Conventions but only vote when a Voting Delegate is absent.
Appointed expert Panelists will also attend and advise Delegates at the Conventions. Panelists will participate in all discussions but have no ability to vote.
There will be rules about the conduct of the election campaign for people wishing to nominate as delegates. These rules will be underpinned by legislation.
Voting will be compulsory; there will be limits on promotion and advertising.
Sitting members of the Legislative Assembly, Senators and Members of the House of Representatives will be ineligible to nominate to be elected as a Delegate.
A full set of the rules will be published in the coming months.
