How many Australian territories are there and what are they?

Australia has two self-governing internal territories on the mainland: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). It also has seven external territories administered by the federal government: the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Coral Sea Islands Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands. The Jervis Bay Territory on the south coast of NSW is administered by the federal government but managed as part of the ACT for many purposes.

The Australian Capital Territory was carved from southern New South Wales in 1911 to host the new federal capital, Canberra. The ACT covers about 2,358 square kilometres, has a population of about 470,000, and has had its own Legislative Assembly since 1989. The Assembly performs both state and local government functions, with 25 members elected through proportional representation. The ACT government is led by the Chief Minister, currently Andrew Barr.

The Northern Territory was originally part of South Australia and was transferred to Commonwealth control in 1911. It became self-governing in 1978 with its own Legislative Assembly. The NT covers about 1.35 million square kilometres (one-sixth of Australia) but has a population of only about 250,000, the smallest of any Australian jurisdiction. About a third of NT residents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the highest proportion of any state or territory. Darwin is the capital, and Alice Springs is the largest inland town.

Territories differ from states in important ways. Section 122 of the Constitution gives the federal Parliament plenary power to make laws for territories, meaning Parliament can override territory laws if it chooses. The most famous example was Parliament's 1997 override of the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, which had legalised voluntary euthanasia. The Restoring Territory Rights Act 2022 repealed the federal override on voluntary assisted dying, allowing both the ACT and NT to legislate in this area. Territories also have fewer Senate seats than states (two each rather than twelve), and territory senators serve three-year rather than six-year terms. External territories sit outside the federation and have varying levels of self-administration; Norfolk Island's Legislative Assembly was abolished in 2016, with the island now administered from Canberra.