It was the last executive to hold the limited powers granted prior to full self-government in 1978, at which point the Northern Territory had ministries as in other jurisdictions.
It came into existence after the unprecedented events of the 1977 election; while the Country Liberal Party government was easily re-elected, five of its seven executive members, including Majority Leader Dr Goff Letts, lost their seats.
The ministry lasted until 1 January 1979, when Chief Minister Paul Everingham decided to promote Nick Dondas to a ministerial position and created several new portfolios accordingly.
The new ministry only contained one change, with Jim Robertson losing the community development portfolio, which Nick Dondas had been fulfilling in an acting role since March that year.
The eighth ministry was sworn in on 13 December 1983 in the wake of a ministerial reshuffle following the Country Liberal Party's landslide re-election in the 1983 election.
It operated until 16 October 1984, when Everingham resigned to enter federal politics, and was replaced as Chief Minister by Ian Tuxworth.