Former deputy premier Vickie Chapman uses final parliamentary speech to call for SA, NT reunification

It’s best for everyone if we’re reunited under one central government, Vickie Chapman has declared in a milestone speech – and many readers agree with her. Take the poll.

Hundreds of South Australians have backed former deputy premier Vickie Chapman’s call for the reunification of South Australia and the Northern Territory.

In a poll conducted by The Advertiser, out of more than 760 voters 65pc of voters by 8am on Friday agreed that the decision would make sense for tourism, assets and facilities, while 35pc said the idea would be too unwieldy.

Ms Chapman used her farewell speech to parliament to outline the benefits for both SA and the NT.

“She’s on the money,” a reader commented.

“Yep.. absolutely never should have let it go. We need to go back to being a powerhouse state and bring a little pride back to the people. NT people don’t want to be run from Canberra either,” another wrote.

Another wrote: “Join SA and NT and name the new state Centralia!” While others suggested Central Australia, Capricornia or Middle Australia.

Ms Chapman said South Australia “gave away” the NT in 1907 and it was accepted by the Commonwealth in 1910.

“Personally, I would like to see the artificial line dividing the central desert people forever removed,” she said.

“Reunification was achieved in Germany after the Berlin Wall came down but surely we can do it.”

But not all readers were on board with the idea.

“We can’t even control the Adelaide City Council so no chance we could ever manage the NT,” one wrote.

One reader believed our northern counterparts might take some convincing.

“Having spent quite a bit of time working in the NT while based in Adelaide, I think I know what the Territorians would say...yeah....nah!”

Ms Chapman said the NT could offer resources including water, liquid gas, gold and a youthful population, and was “strategically placed” in the north of the country.

In return, SA could provide the NT with an opportunity for statehood, as well as employment, higher education, a commercial base and involvement in the state’s cyber-defence and space sectors.

Together, SA and the NT offer Uluru and Kangaroo Island – two of Australia’s four iconic tourism attractions.

“Joined up, we can offer an experience to international tourists from the tropics, across the desert into the rich environment of the south,” Ms Chapman said.

She said she would continue to advocate for SA following her retirement from politics, and highlighted the need to ensure the state’s population continued to grow.

“We must address that allowing population growth to further stagnate will only further reduce our representation in the federal parliament,” she said.

Among her proudest achievements over her time in politics, she said, were the establishment of the Court of Appeal, modernising abortion rules and surrogacy rules and championing the decriminalisation of sex work.

Vickie Chapman makes her farewell speech at the South Australian parliament, in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Following the speech, colleagues paid tribute to Ms Chapman, including former premier Steven Marshall, who said her entry to cabinet was the start of “an extraordinarily hard working and dedicated four years”.

“She made an enormous contribution,” he said.

“I can’t tell you the number of occasions when she saved my bacon.”

Current deputy premier Susan Close said Ms Chapman had played a “path-finding and barrier-breaking role” as the state’s first female deputy premier and first female attorney-general.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis thanked Ms Chapman and paid tribute to her as “someone who probably should have led her party but never did”.

“I think Vickie Chapman is a very, very strong woman,” he said.

Among those watching the speech from the gallery were former Liberal premier Dean Brown, former federal defence minister Christopher Pyne and former federal Adelaide MP Trish Worth.

Originally published as Former deputy premier Vickie Chapman uses final parliamentary speech to call for SA, NT reunification