Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act 1989

(1) The Authority consists of

12 members appointed by the Administrator by notice in the Gazette.

(2) Ten members of the

Authority are to be custodians of sacred sites appointed in equal number from a panel of 10 male custodians and 10 female custodians nominated by the Land Councils, or otherwise as provided in subsection (5) or (6).

(2A) Two members of the

Authority are to be persons appointed on the nomination of the

Minister.

(3) The Administrator must, on the nomination of the members of the Authority, appoint an

Aboriginal member to be the Chairman of the Authority and another, of the opposite sex to the person appointed as the Chairman, to be its

Deputy Chairman.

(4) A member holds office as a member for such period, not exceeding 3 years, as is specified in the instrument of his or her appointment but is eligible for reappointment.

(5) The Minister must, when the occasion for the appointment of the Aboriginal members arises, by written notice to the Land Councils, request them to nominate a panel of 10 male custodians, and another panel of 10 female custodians, from which the Administrator may appoint 5 Aboriginal members of each sex or, where there is a vacancy in the office of an Aboriginal member (including a vacancy caused by a member's term of office expiring), to nominate a panel of twice the number of custodians of the relevant sex as the number of vacancies from which the

Administrator may appoint the required number of members to fill the vacancy or vacancies.

(6) If the Land Councils do not, within 60 days after being requested to do so, nominate a panel of the required number of qualified persons under subsection (5), the

Administrator may appoint such custodians of the appropriate sex as the Administrator thinks fit to be the Aboriginal members or to fill the vacancy or vacancies, whether or not those Aboriginals may have been included in a panel of persons nominated by the Land Councils or a Land Council.