Almost Australians: the politics of Northern Territory self-government

Abstract

This book grew out of my long-standing interest in Northern Territory politics and constitutional development and my association with statehood policy-formulation as a Ministerial Officer for the Chief Minister in 1986 and 1987. Both Chief Ministers for whom I worked, Ian Tuxworth and Steve Hatton, were supportive of my historical research and made available the resources that enabled me to assemble the necessary archival and interview material on which the book is based. While it should not need to be stated, the historical analysis and interpretation herein are mine alone. In any case, the bulk of the study deals with events antecedent to 1986. Many other people made this book possible, not all of whom I could possibly mention here. But, in particular, I would like to thank the fifty or so people - all in some way major participants in the politics of self-government and statehood - who freely offered their recollections and often documentary material. Without their involvement, such a recent historical process, constrained by the usual archival limitations, would have been difficult to deal with in any adequate academic way. My appreciation is also extended to all those people - in many depositories in both Canberra and Darwin - who assisted me with the location of relevant information. Finally, to Dee Sarev, colleague and friend, who contributed so much to the preparation of the manuscript, I owe a deep debt of gratitude. Show more