SEATS IN FOCUS: Karama a tight race between NT Labor and Territory Alliance
The “battler” electorate of Karama will be a tight race between NT Labor and Territory Alliance, with a former MLA expected to hit the campaign trail.
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THE “battler” electorate of Karama will be a tight race between NT Labor and Territory Alliance, with a former MLA expected to hit the campaign trail.
Incumbent Ngaree Ah Kit’s biggest competition is expected to be Territory Alliance’s Caleb Cardno, as former Labor leader turned Territory Alliance campaign adviser Delia Lawrie revealed she had been mentoring the new hopeful and would support him on the ground.
Ms Lawrie, who represented the geographically small electorate for 15 years until 2016, lost to Ms Ah Kit by 55 votes against a backdrop of being disendorsed by the party amid the Stella Maris debacle and choosing to run as an independent.
Ms Lawrie told the NT News recent polling done for Territory Alliance, by Media Reach, had given Karama voters the option of saying whether they would have voted for her if she had opted to run in the 2020 election. Her approval was 54 per cent.
“It will be a very interesting result out there (in Karama),” Ms Lawrie said.
The Territory-wide electorate redistribution has pushed Ms Ah Kit’s margin against the CLP from 13 per cent to 12.3 per cent according to political analyst Antony Green.
Nestled in Darwin’s northern suburbs, Karama’s community is multicultural and has a larger than national average First Nations population according to the 2016 census.
Ms Lawrie said the density of public housing in Karama was high and pocket of affluence were “tiny”.
“You could describe it as a working-class seat,” she said.
“It’s the battlers, it’s the mums and dads coming into the property market, the aspirants.”
Ms Lawrie has given the CLP no hope of winning in the seat, despite candidate Brian O’Gallagher’s tenure on the Territory’s leading organisation for businesses — the Chamber of Commerce NT.
The CLP picked up 923 primary votes in 2016 and in previous two-horse race elections averaged about 43 per cent of the vote.
Incumbent Ms Ah Kit, during the final sitting of parliament, was made deputy Speaker of the House alongside Namatjira MLA Chansey Paech, making them the first Aboriginal duo in Australian history to hold those roles.
Mr Cardno is an aircraft engineer who has lived in Karama since 2015. He works as a training manager, teaching trade skills to middle school students in Darwin.
CANDIDATES
NAME: Ngaree Ah Kit
PARTY: NT Labor
TELL US IN 100 WORDS OR LESS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU:
I am a born and bred Territorian and for the past four years, it has been my privilege to represent the Karama electorate, which has been my home for more than 20 years.
This electorate is a culturally diverse part of Darwin with a strong community that I have been lucky to belong to since my days at Malak Primary School. I have worked tirelessly to prioritise community harmony initiatives, such as the Malak Marketplace, upgrading our public spaces and relocating the NT Stolen Generations office to Malak. If the voters of Karama decide to re-elect me, I will continue to fight for them to have a safe and happy community that puts them first every day.
NAME: Caleb Cardno
PARTY: Territory Alliance
TELL US IN 100 WORDS OR LESS WHY
PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU:
I have loved raising my family in Karama for the past five years. This has inspired me to step up to bring change and help our community in Karama and Malak. Our social needs have got worse with youth crime and anti-social behaviour. Hearing friends worried about their jobs in a worsening economy and their hopes for their children’s future has made me determined to bring positive change. I am a licensed aircraft engineer, tech teacher and volunteer youth worker. I’ll bring a solutions focused approach to our beautiful community and work tirelessly to restore our streets and rebuild our neighbourhood.
NAME: Brian O’Gallagher
PARTY: CLP
TELL US IN 100 WORDS OR LESS WHY
PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU:
As a passionate Territorian for 27 years, I am a champion for our small to medium businesses who are the ‘Heart and Soul’ of our economy. Over the last 4 years, these local businesses have been neglected by this disastrous Gunner Labor Government – witnessing government waste on Boundless Useless Campaigns & unneeded Underground Carparks, and the decline of essential frontline services. Having walked every street of Karama & Malak twice and listening to thousands of residents – SAFETY is their major concern especially Youth Crime, Vandalism and Anti-Social Behaviour. If elected, the residents of Karama & Malak will be my Boss.
HISTORY
THE CLP’s Mick Palmer won the newly created seat of Karama in 1987 and, as the incumbent member during the height of the CLP’s dominance of Territory politics, had little trouble holding it through the next three elections. When Labor’s Delia Lawrie won in 2001, she created Australia’s first mother-daughter political dynasty, following in her independent mother Dawn Lawrie’s footsteps. She was easily re-elected at the 2005 election, significantly increasing her majority. Lawrie was disendorsed by the Labor Party in October 2015, and resigned from the party a few days later. She nominated as an independent candidate for Karama at the 2016 election, against the preselected Labor candidate, Ngaree Ah Kit, and lost by just a few votes. AREA/SUBURBS
Karama and Malak. Parts of Berrimah are now also in the electorate thanks to a recent redistribution.
2016 RESULTS
Labor’s Ah Kit won the seat in 2016 with 50.8 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote, ahead of independent Lawrie.
PREVIOUS MEMBERS
2016-present: Ngaree Ah Kit (Labor)
2015-2016: Delia Lawrie (Ind)
2001-2015: Delia Lawrie (Labor)
1987-2001: Mick Palmer (CLP)
Originally published as SEATS IN FOCUS: Karama a tight race between NT Labor and Territory Alliance