The Northern Australia Act was passed in 1926 and took effect from 1 February 1927. The Act provided for the division of the Northern Territory into two regions, North and Central, along the 20th parallel. Each region was administered separately with Government Residents located in Darwin and Alice Springs respectively. The Act also created the North Australia Commission, the role of which was to prepare plans for the development of North Australia. The Act was repealed in 1931 and the two regions once again became the Northern Territory.