Northern Territory Consolidated Acts Northern Territory Consolidated Acts43. Role of principal member (and deputy or acting principal member)
(1) The role of the principal member of a council is:
(a) to chair meetings of the council; and
(b) to speak on behalf of the council as the council's principal representative; and
(c) to carry out the civic and ceremonial functions of the principal member.
(2) The role of the deputy principal member of a council is to carry out any of the principal member's functions when the principal member:
(a) delegates the functions to the deputy; or
(b) is absent from official duties because of illness or for some other pressing reason; or
(c) is on leave.
(3) If the principal member is absent from official duties on leave or for some other reason, and there is no deputy principal member or the deputy is not available to act in the principal member's position, the council may, by resolution, appoint some other member of the council to act in the principal member's position for a specified period or until the principal member resumes official duties.