Division of Namatjira

History of name

The division was created for the first Legislative Assembly election in 1974. Formerly known as MacDonnell after the MacDonnell Ranges, the division was renamed Namatjira at the 2011 redistribution. Albert Namatjira was a pioneer of contemporary Aboriginal Australian art who was awarded the Queen’s Coronation Medal (1953), and was the first Aboriginal artist to win the prestigious Archibald Prize (1956). In 1957, Namatjira became the first Aboriginal person to be granted restricted Australian citizenship, which allowed him to vote.

Location

The division of Namatjira covers the south eastern corner of the Northern Territory. It is bounded by the Queensland and South Australian borders on two sides, part of Stuart Highway to its west, and expands just north of the Plenty Highway in its north. It is a hybrid division that comprises both urban and remote areas. It includes the Alice Springs suburbs of Arumbera, Connellan, Ilparpa, Irlpme, Kilgariff, Larapinta, Mount Johns, (most of) Stuart, Undoolya, and White Gums. The division also includes the communities of Amoonguna, Atitjere (Harts Range), Finke, Santa Teresa, and Titjikala.
Approx. area: 198,384 km²

Members