The Northern Territory will have the largest female majority cabinet in Australian history after the Labor government elected five women to its eight person leadership team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Sunday, Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner described the announcement as a "watershed moment."
"This Labor Cabinet mirrors the diversity, aspirations and life experience of Territorians," he said in a statement.
The comments were echoed by newly elected Attorney General Natasha Fyles who told the ABC the "parliament is a reflection" of the Australian political scene's move towards gender equality.
The cabinet's female representation of 62.5 per cent eclipses Queensland's first female majority under Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
It has almost double the proportion of women in federal cabinet of 35 per cent, and four times the global figure of 17 per cent.
The surge in female representation at the highest levels of power in the NT comes a week after former Prime Minister John Howard all-but-ruled out gender equality in federal parliament.
"I'm not sure that you will ever have a 50/50 thing because it's a fact of society that the caring role, whatever people may say about it and whatever the causes are . . . women play a significantly greater part of filling the caring role in our communities, which inevitably will place some limits on their capacity," said Mr Howard.
Ms Fyles will be joined by four other women in the ministry including new Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison, Environment Minister Lauren Moss, Education Minister Eva Lawler and Families Minister Dale Wakefield.
The move comes three days after a landslide Labor victory saw the Territory's Country Liberals bundled out of power.
The party lost all but two seats in the 25 seat parliament, including that of its leader Adam Giles, who became the first Chief Minister in the Northern Territory to lose his seat while in government.
Mr Giles attributed the rout to an ABC Four Corners program that highlighted the abuse of children inside NT detention centres.
"When the Don Dale case came up I thought I would be a losing seat," Mr Giles told AAP.
"I am immensely proud of the work our Country Liberals team achieved during its four-year term," he added in a note on Facebook. "My government built the Territory for its future. We will be remembered for this legacy."
A female speaker will also preside over the NT parliament after the Labor caucus nominated Kezia Purick to continue in her former role.
