Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Ensuring Fair Representation of the Northern Territory) 2020

# Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Ensuring Fair Representation of the Northern Territory) Bill 2020 ## What it does This bill guarantees the Northern Territory will always have at least 2 Members in the House of Representatives. Currently, the number of NT seats can change based on population calculations, which could theoretically drop it below 2. The bill locks in a minimum of 2 seats no matter what. ## Why it matters The NT has a small and dispersed population, so it could lose parliamentary representation under the normal rules that adjust seat numbers based on how many people live in each state and territory. This bill protects NT voters from being underrepresented in parliament. ## Key details - **When it kicks in**: The day after it gets Royal Assent (parliament's formal approval) - **The guarantee**: No matter how the Electoral Commissioner recalculates representation in future, the Northern Territory must have at least 2 House seats at every election - **Immediate effect**: If the current electoral boundaries don't match this new rule, they're replaced with the ones that were set on 31 August 2017, and two new electoral divisions are created for the NT straight away

🔒 Voting closed — this bill has been decided by parliament