Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson calls for third seat in NT parliament
The Alice Springs mayor and a Central Australian MLA have called for the regional town to be better represented in parliament. Here’s how it could change at the next election.
Northern Territory
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Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson has called for his town to get an extra seat in Territory parliament.
The regional town is currently represented by the CLP’s Braitling MLA Josh Burgoyne and independent Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley.
The Namatjira electorate, also held by the CLP, covers a small part of Alice Springs as well.
Mr Paterson said with just two dedicated MLAs, Alice Springs residents were at risk of feeling “marginalised and disengaged” with the political system.
“Central Australia is a unique area with an extremely diverse range of residents,” Mr Paterson’s submission to the NT Electoral Commission reads.
“Having only two dedicated representatives in parliament dilutes the opportunity for Alice Springs residents to have a meaningful input into decisions that shape the Northern Territory.”
Alice Springs once had a third seat, Greatorex but it was redistributed at the 2016 election.
Mr Paterson said the return of a third seat would result in a “more genuine voice” and “equitable outcome” for Alice Springs people.
“Alice Springs Town Council believes it is vital to the health and prosperity of the Northern Territory for a third parliamentary seat to be reinstated,” he said.
The NT Electoral Commission is currently reviewing electorate boundaries and enrolment figures, a process undertaken before every general election.
The latest enrolment data shows Araluen and Braitling are almost bang on the quota of 5982 voters.
Namatjira has 58 less electors than it should, whereas as Gwoja – represented by Labor’s Chansey Paech – is 462 short of the quota.
Ms Lambley, first elected as a CLP member, said that gap should be filled with voters from both Braitling and Araluen.
“Gwoja is currently a 100 per cent bush seat covering an enormous geographical area,” she wrote in a submission to the review.
“It has the largest geographical footprint of all the 25 NT divisions.
“My recommendation would be to redistribute approximately 150-200 urban Alice Springs voters from the Araluen and Braitling electorates to the electorate of Gwoja.
“(The redistribution) would make Gwoja slightly more manageable and easier to service for the local member, who has an electorate office in Alice Springs.”
Given the CLP’s long hold over Alice Springs, the move could grant the opposition a greater chance of claiming Gwoja in the next election.
Mr Paech said Gwoja should have “minimal changes to its boundaries”.
“It is crucial that we maintain a balance of urban and remote divisions in the Northern Territory,” he said.
He said if the Commission decided his electorate needed more voters, he recommended they come from the communities of Ti Tree, Wilora and Pmara Jutunta (Six Mile).
Redistributions will be decided by mid-September and come into effect at the next general election, in August 2024.
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