What key Northern Territory voices thought about the CLP’s first budget
The Country Liberal Party’s first budget since taking power in the Northern Territory has delivered a record spend, with law and order emerging the biggest winner. Here’s what key stakeholders had to say about NT Budget 2025-26.
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The Country Liberal Party’s first budget since taking power in the Northern Territory has delivered a record spend, with law and order emerging the biggest winner.
Here’s what key organisations and politicians had to say about NT Budget 2025-26.
NT Council of Social Service: More specialist DV funding needed
The peak body for social and community services in the NT said there was a lot to be pleased about in the budget, but the sector remained in need of more secure, ongoing funding across the board.
NT Council of Social Service said many of the services and programs established over the past few years had their funding renewed, but shared concerns about a lack of detail on exactly how some of the money would be spent.
President Jayne Lloyd pointed to domestic violence funding as an example – despite the record $36m commitment, a large proportion of that money seemed to have been allocated to child protection and corrections programs, rather than specialist DV services.
“The issue with how government talks about DV services is that they apportion it across education, across police, across corrections – but the DV sector itself is a specialist sector that requires significant investment,” she said.
“While on the one hand there’s some good continuity of services that we’re seeing, we actually need more.”
Ms Lloyd described the $36m promise as “politics” and that from an initial look at the budget books it appeared the specialist DV sector was getting closer to $25m.
“We’re excited when our services aren’t getting cut … so we get used to having that really low benchmark, but we would like to be aiming a bit higher than that,” she said.
Ms Lloyd said that would mean more investment, and the establishment of a domestic violence peak body.
NT Shelter: Some wins for housing, but renters left out
The peak body for affordable housing in the NT said it was positive to see a strong repairs and maintenance budget, but there was nothing to relieve cost of living pressure for the 50 per cent of Territorians who rented.
“What we can see in the budget papers is that there’s only a target of 2 per cent urban housing growth in the Northern Territory over this financial year, which just isn’t sufficient to meet the huge demand,” NT Shelter chief executive Annie Taylor said.
The budget projected the NT population to grow by 1 per cent this year, and Ms Taylor said there was not enough housing to support the existing population.
“It’s positive to see a strong repairs and maintenance budget for social and affordable housing – that’s a really important factor in getting people into housing as fast as we can.
“As of this morning, we have over 5000 Territorian families on those social housing wait lists – just in the urban centres. So anything that gets those people into housing faster is a real positive.”
Ms Taylor said the rental market in the NT was also “incredibly stretched”.
“We have very low vacancy rates, we’re one of the most expensive places to rent,” she said.
“Renting is a huge contribution to cost of living, and it really impacts people.”
The National Rental Affordability Scheme will wind up next year, and more than 500 Territory families will lose entitlements.
“This means we’re going to have hundreds of families who are going to be looking for places to live,” Ms Taylor said.
“What we would have liked to see from the budget is a plan for those people, because we have 12 times the national rate of homelessness here in the Northern Territory.”
NT Police Association: Law and order budget not doing enough to invest in the frontline
The police union said the record law and order spend did not do enough to invest in the frontline, as a stoush over wages continues.
Northern Territory Police Association president Nathan Finn said it was “deeply concerning” the union was initially excluded from the pre-budget lock up – only receiving an invite when it made a direct request.
Unusually, the lockup for industry and stakeholders such as the NTPA lasted two hours, while media only had one hour with the budget papers before they were made public.
The budget included a $36m boost to the revised police budget, including $20m to support the rollout of the Police Resource Review, $3m to continue the PFES Wellbeing Strategy, $6.6m to expand the Peter McAulay Centre JESCC and CCTV Unit, and $2m to pilot a dedicated police communications centre in Alice Springs.
“Budget 2025–26 was pitched as a record law and order budget. The government continues to talk up its spending, yet fails to invest in the most critical element – the men and women protecting the Territory,” Mr Finn said.
“Infrastructure and technology investment may look good in media releases, but without adequate staffing, they do nothing to ease the crushing pressure on officers.
“This government’s insulting 3 per cent wage cap – coupled with the threat to remove police housing in Darwin – will see officers walk away from the job, placing the future of the NT Police Force and the community at serious risk.
“Once again, the budget’s Infrastructure Program includes re-announced funding for the long-promised Maningrida Police Station – a commitment made to our members and the local community for years, with no delivery in sight.”
Responsible Wagering Australia: Online gambling tax hike is ‘economically reckless’
The online gambling peak body expressed concern over the CLP’s decision to double the annual bookmaker and betting exchange tax cap on licensed online Wagering Service Providers (WSPs), warning it undermined the Territory’s reputation as a competitive licensing jurisdiction.
The NT has become a haven for major online gambling companies in Australia, dozens of which base themselves in the Territory for its low fees and taxes.
Responsible Wagering Australia said the doubling of the cap, announced in Tuesday’s budget, came without any industry consultation.
It also comes before the final report of the Northern Territory government’s Racing Industry Review – a report commissioned to inform long-term sustainability settings for the wagering and racing sectors.
“RWA have participated meaningfully in the review and eagerly anticipated a new strategic vision for racing in the Territory. This decision, made before the review has had a chance to lay that strategic vision, has blindsided WSPs and materially undermines any outcome of the review,” RWA chief executive Kai Cantwell said.
Environment Centre NT: Environment and water gutted
Environment Centre NT said the budget gutted water and the environment funding, while bankrolling fossil fuels.
The budget includes $181.3m for gas industry enabling road infrastructure, $93.5m for a Strauss to Middle Arm pipeline, and a threefold increase for both the Beetaloo Project Management Office and the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct.
Meanwhile the budgets for water security, water resources, and implementation of the Territory Water Plan have all been cut.
“The government talks about the Territory lifestyle but at the same time is intent on ripping up protections for this lifestyle, gutting funding for water resources, and fast-tracking destructive industries like fracking and gas at Middle Arm,” ECNT spokesman Naish Gawen said.
“The Budget further confirms that fracking is not going to be the promised boon for the Territory’s economy, with mining and petroleum royalties forecast to be lower in 2028-9 than they are now.”
Territory Labor: Budget lacks vision for the Territory
The Labor Opposition said the budget lacked a clear vision for the Territory and missed an opportunity to “deliver the economic leadership and community safety Territorians desperately need”.
Treasurer Bill Yan has laid much of the blame for the NT’s ballooning debt and weak economy at the feet of the previous Labor government – something Opposition Leader Selena Uibo downplayed.
“The former Labor government had a clear plan to reduce debt over the next three years by 2028, this is something that the CLP has not done under their budget books,” she said.
“This is a huge concern. When it comes to the Territory’s economy, we know the best way to pay down debt will be to ensure that the Territory has own source revenue.
“The CLP provided no plan whatsoever about economic investment to pay down debt or to provide security for the Territory’s economy in the future.
“When it comes to community safety, there are missed opportunities to invest in prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation – and ultimately prevent crime before it happens.
“There are deep cuts to infrastructure, housing, tourism and the environment, yet Bill Yan has still managed to increase the Territory’s debt by $1.5bn over the next three years.”
Greens MLA Kat McNamara: Budget misses opportunity to invest in crime prevention
Local member for Nightcliff Kat McNamara said the budget missed the opportunity to invest in crime prevention, to properly tax “predatory companies”, and offered no realistic plan to pay for its record spending.
“They have claimed to be spending $780m for ‘social protection to reduce crime and improve public safety’ when in actuality none of the outlined funding will actually prevent crime, rather just respond to it,” the Greens MLA said.
“This budget is failing vulnerable community members, foolishly relies upon extractive industries who are notorious tax avoiders, and shows poor management of hard working taxpayers money.
“The CLP government continues to sing the praises of the gas industry whilst failing to be transparent with Territorians about the actual financial benefits, of which there are virtually none.
“A whopping $181m has been allocated for roads for their buddies in the gas industry, whilst neglecting Territorians who wait up to 10 years before being able to access public housing.”
Mulka MLA Yingiya Mark Guyula: Not much for East Arnhem Land to celebrate
Independent East Arnhem politician and elder Yingiya Mark Guyula said there was not much in the budget to celebrate for his Mulka electorate.
“I note that there is a possible cut to the rangers programs and this is concerning – this is a program that really needs to be expanded,” he said.
“There is no new works in the infrastructure budget for the Mulka electorate … and some revoted works have been on the budget paper for years.
“My question is, will these revoted works happen during this financial year? $205m for the Central Arnhem road has been announced over several years … this week, the Central Arnhem Highway remains closed – no one can drive in or out of any of the homelands.”
Mr Guyula also called for more funding for houses to be built in homelands.
“Homeland funding remains the same, and it only addresses limited grants for maintenance,” he said.
“Yet the cost of supplies and fuel in remote areas has risen enormously – homeland resources centres left with less capacity and capability to service homelands each year. This funding amount needs to be urgently reviewed.
“I will continue to call on both levels of government to look at how the $4bn (remote) housing agreement can be expanded to include new housing for our homelands.”
Federal Solomon MP Luke Gosling: Don’t take credit for commonwealth funding
Solomon MP Luke Gosling welcomed the budget’s record health budget and renewed focus on early intervention to prevent crime, but accused the CLP of trying to take credit for outcomes driven by commonwealth funding and local advocacy.
“While the Treasurer, and Country Liberal Party are spinning this as their success, they are failing to mention that 70 per cent of the entire Northern Territory Budget — $7.14 billion — is funded by the Australian government,” Mr Gosling said.
“We welcome every dollar invested in Territory kids, but let’s be absolutely clear: every single public school in the Northern Territory will be fully funded by the Albanese Labor government under an agreement signed by the former Labor NT government.
“While the NT government talks about action, they’ve slashed early childhood education funding by $4.5m.
“And let’s not forget — the CLP spent months delaying the Casuarina Youth Hub, a project that would directly help young people stay in school and out of trouble. They talk about school attendance, but when it came to delivering early intervention, they stalled.
“If the Country Liberal Party was serious about working with the Albanese Labor government, the NT Treasurer would have spoken with the federal Treasurer and organised a budget briefing to discuss challenges and ask for support — instead they are passing the blame, to deflect from their decades of deficit to come.”
Originally published as What key Northern Territory voices thought about the CLP’s first budget
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