Northern Territory Consolidated Acts

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT - SECT 19

(1) The Agency must collaborate with the interested councils in each region in the preparation and revision of regional management plans for the region.

(2) The Agency prepares a regional management plan (or a revised management plan) for a region as follows:

(a) the Agency first consults with, and ensures consultation between:

(i) the interested councils for the region; and

(ii) LGANT (if it wants to be involved in the consultation); and

(iii) other interested bodies and persons;

and prepares a draft management plan for the region;

(b) the Agency prepares a draft management plan reflecting the results of the consultation and, at least 4 months before the date fixed in the draft for commencement of the regional management plan, the draft is published on the Agency's website;

(c) a notice is published on the website and in a newspaper circulating generally throughout the Territory inviting written representations, within a period (at least 1 month) specified in the notice, from interested persons;

(d) after considering all representations made within the relevant period, the Agency prepares, in consultation with the interested councils and LGANT (if it wants to be involved), a final version of the management plan and publishes it on the Agency's website.

(3) The draft regional management plan and the notice inviting written representations must also be published on the website of any councils whose area is within the relevant region.

(4) If a serious dispute arises between the Agency and a council for the region about the provisions of a draft regional management plan and it appears that the dispute cannot be resolved by agreement, the Agency must:

(a) notify the council of:

(i) the dispute and the reasons for it; and

(ii) the Agency's intention to ask the Minister to resolve the dispute; and

(b) refer the dispute to the Minister.

(5) The Minister will resolve a dispute referred under subsection (4) and the regional management plan must reflect the Minister's decision.