{{Infobox Australian place | type = lga | name = Groote Archipelago | state = nt | image = | image_upright = | pop = | pop_year = | pop_footnotes = | area = | area_footnotes = | mayor = Gordon Walsh<ref name="mayor">{{cite web|url=https://groote.nt.gov.au/announcement-of-mayor-and-deputy-mayor|title=Announcement of Mayor and Deputy Mayor|publisher=Groote Archipelago Regional Council|access-date=6 May 2025}}</ref> | seat = Angurugu | region = | stategov = | logo = | mapframe-marker = no | local_map = yes | coordinates = {{Coord|13|58|S|136|36|E|region:AU-NT_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}} | zoom = 8 | url = https://groote.nt.gov.au/ | near-n = | near-ne = | near-e = | near-se = | near-s = | near-sw = | near-w = | near-nw = | est = {{Start date and age|1 September 2024}} | logo_upright = 1.2 }} The '''Groote Archipelago Region''' is a local government area (LGA) of the Northern Territory, Australia, situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It was formed on 1 September 2024 after splitting from the East Arnhem Region, with the first election for '''Groote Archipelago Regional Council''' held in March 2025.

==History== In July 2023, then-chief minister Natasha Fyles signed an agreement to establish the Groote Archipelago Region as a new local government area, splitting from East Arnhem Regional Council (and thus abolishing East Arnhem's Anindilyakwa Ward).<ref>{{cite web |title=New council for Northern Territory |url=https://insidelocalgovernment.com.au/new-council-for-northern-territory/ |publisher=Inside Local Government |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229193018/https://insidelocalgovernment.com.au/new-council-for-northern-territory/ |archive-date=29 February 2024 |date=20 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Changes in Northern Territory Local Government |url=https://groote.nt.gov.au/hi-brooke-i-ll-certainly-put-it-up-this-morning-please-find-attached-the-news-article-intended-to-accompany-the-gazette-notice-our-strategy-is-to-include-a-simplified-version-of-the-notice-within |publisher=Groote Archipelago Regional Council |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225083527/https://groote.nt.gov.au/hi-brooke-i-ll-certainly-put-it-up-this-morning-please-find-attached-the-news-article-intended-to-accompany-the-gazette-notice-our-strategy-is-to-include-a-simplified-version-of-the-notice-within |archive-date=25 December 2024}}</ref> On 20 May 2024, the Northern Territory Government announced the establishment of the council, with the first election scheduled for 26 October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=New local government council for Groote Archipelago |url=https://territorystories.nt.gov.au/10070/945017/0/1 |publisher=Northern Territory Government |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241120004240/https://territorystories.nt.gov.au/10070/945017/0/1 |archive-date=20 November 2024 |date=20 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New Local Government Council For Groote Archipelago |url=https://www.miragenews.com/new-local-government-council-for-groote-1238096/ |publisher=Mirage News |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241115060326/https://www.miragenews.com/new-local-government-council-for-groote-1238096/ |archive-date=15 November 2024 |date=20 May 2024}}</ref>

On 19 October 2024, local government minister Steve Edgington announced that the election would be postponed until 15 March 2025 in order to allow for consultation about using wards instead of an undivided structure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elections for the newly constituted Groote Archipelago Regional Council election have been postponed to 15 March 2025 |url=https://www.facebook.com/SteveEdgingtonMLA/posts/pfbid0Z7VZRVEia2PehiyFBDVjeku5EKjPNbdaK4HJMyxXttFR25QEPHntevgrykbbLZHol?rdid=5YNXqgJnOiPRyvWO# |website=Facebook |publisher=Steve Edgington MLA: Member for Barkly |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241115055755/https://www.facebook.com/SteveEdgingtonMLA/posts/pfbid0Z7VZRVEia2PehiyFBDVjeku5EKjPNbdaK4HJMyxXttFR25QEPHntevgrykbbLZHol?rdid=5YNXqgJnOiPRyvWO%23 |archive-date=15 November 2024 |date=19 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Postponed elections in Groote Archipelago |url=https://groote.nt.gov.au/postponed-elections-in-groote-archipelago |publisher=Groote Archipelago Regional Council |access-date=15 November 2024 |date=19 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225083331/https://groote.nt.gov.au/postponed-elections-in-groote-archipelago |archive-date=25 December 2024}}</ref> Voting had already begun on 14 October, with 22 candidates nominating for seven positions.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of candidates |url=https://ntec.nt.gov.au/elections/current-elections/2024-groote-archipelago-regional-council/list-of-candidates |publisher=Northern Territory Electoral Commission |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241030132223/https://ntec.nt.gov.au/elections/current-elections/2024-groote-archipelago-regional-council/list-of-candidates |archive-date=30 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Timetable |url=https://ntec.nt.gov.au/elections/current-elections/2024-groote-archipelago-regional-council/timetable2 |publisher=Northern Territory Electoral Commission |access-date=15 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241026235942/https://ntec.nt.gov.au/elections/current-elections/2024-groote-archipelago-regional-council/timetable2 |archive-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>

Shane Marshall was appointed on 13 November 2024 as the council's inaugural CEO.<ref>{{cite web |title=CEO Announcement |url=https://groote.nt.gov.au/ceo-announcement |publisher=Groote Archipelago Regional Council |access-date=15 November 2024 |date=13 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225083153/https://groote.nt.gov.au/ceo-announcement |archive-date=25 December 2024}}</ref>

==Council== Groote Archipelago Regional Council is composed of three multi-member wards, totalling seven councillors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meet the Council|url=https://groote.nt.gov.au/meet-the-council|publisher=Groote Archipelago Regional Council|access-date=6 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ntec.nt.gov.au/elections/current-elections/2024-groote-archipelago-regional-council/results/groote-central|title=Groote - Central|publisher=Northern Territory Elctoral Commission|date=28 March 2025|access-date=6 May 2025}}</ref>

===Current composition=== The current council, elected in 2025, is:

{| class="wikitable" |- !Ward!!colspan="2"|Councillor!!Party!!Notes |- | rowspan=3 |'''Central''' | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Gordon Walsh | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | Mayor<ref name="mayor"/> |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Fabian Lalara | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Gregson Lalara | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | Deputy Mayor<ref name="mayor"/> |- | rowspan=2 | '''East''' | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Mildred Mamarika | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Constantine Mamarika | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | |- | rowspan=2 | '''West''' | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Violet Huddlestone | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|&nbsp; | Kieranson Wurramara | {{Australian politics/name|Independent}} | |}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory}}

Category:Local government areas of the Northern Territory Category:2024 establishments in Australia