NT Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro defeated Labor in Saturday’s election
The Labor government in the Northern Territory has suffered an election wipeout, as Anthony Albanese gets ready to go to the polls by May next year.
Northern Territory Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro has celebrated a “new day” for the top end after handing Labor a landslide election defeat after eight years in power.
The CLP emphatically won with at least 15 seats in the 25-seat parliament, while Labor has been reduced to just four seats at the close of counting. Independents hold two seats so far.
Outgoing chief minister Eva Lawler also lost her seat.
The routing of Labor in the Top End will likely raise concerns federally, as the Albanese government prepares for an election by May next year.
Labor also faces a massive challenge to retain government in Queensland in October, while another federal battleground – Western Australia – goes to the polls early next year.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Saturday’s “terrific result” for the CLP was one Labor should be concerned about.
“The feeling in the room was that there had been a huge shift away from Territory Labor,” Ms Ley told Sky News Sunday Agenda.
“And make no mistake there are implications for Anthony Albanese in this result.
“This was not just an indictment on Eva Lawler, Natasha Fyles and the Territory Labor team, but also on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for leaving the people of the Territory behind.”
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud said the result showed the Labor Party was “under a bit of pressure” at the moment.
“Crime is just out of control in the Northern Territory. Their economic circumstances are plummeting and the PM has been front and centre of that,” Mr Littleproud told Nine on Sunday.
“So obviously there’s some big lessons for us all.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles deflected questions on what impact the result had federally, saying local issues such as crime were the driver of Labor’s loss.
“We’re just focused on getting the job done at hand. There is no doubt the biggest issuing facing Australians now is cost of living,” Mr Marles told Sky News Sunday Agenda.
“terrific result” for the CLP. Picture:NewsWire/ Monique Harmer
Cabinet minister Bill Shorten downplayed the impact of the NT election on the federal government.
“You’re a mug if you say there’s never any federal implication, but in preparation for this question, I rang a lot of my friends in the territory,” Mr Shorten told Insiders.
“They said it was a crime election. They said Labor got pincered by crime on the right, but on the left, the greenies, the Zealots, the usual, you know, soapbox fanatics.
“In the Territory, they have big tides. The tide goes out big, the tide comes in big and I would say we saw a Territory political tide.”
On Saturday night, Ms Finocchiaro – the new chief minister – told party faithful Territorians had voted to hold “a bad Labor government to account”.
The granddaughter of Italian migrants said the result was a “turning point in the Territory’s future”, vowing action in particular on the region’s high crime rates.
“Territorians have used their voice to stand up against Labor who have taken them for granted for far too long,” Ms Finocchiaro said, with her husband and two children in attendance.
“Territorians have stood up against nearly two decades of escalating crime and economy going backwards and the erosion of our once iconic lifestyle. But tomorrow is the start of a new day.”
Ms Finocchiaro, who will become the NT’s 14th chief minister, said residents had spoken “loud and clear, they want to live in a safe community where police are supported by better laws”.
Defeated chief minister Ms Lawler also lost her own seat of Drysdale after massive surprise swings to the CLP.
Fighting back tears, Ms Lawler told the party faithful shortly after 9pm that after a “tough, hard fight in this campaign... unfortunately, we haven’t gotten across the line tonight”.
“It has been an absolute privilege to be chief minister of the Northern Territory. It’s also been an absolute privilege to be the member for Drysdale,” Ms Lawler said on Saturday.
“Tonight is a tough night for Labor, a truly tough night for Labor. It wasn’t the result that we wanted to see. But I think some of those votes, some of those decisions, were made a long time ago.
“I know Territorians wanted change. We’ve heard that loudly and clearly... I do believe that we leave the Northern Territory in a much better position than previously.”
Ms Lawler said she had congratulated Ms Finocchiaro and that Labor would not “run down the Northern Territory” in opposition, and would be constructive”.
Taking over from Natasha Fyles, Ms Lawler was seeking to extend Labor’s eight year hold over the top end, with 25 seats up for grabs when counting official kicked off at 6pm.
But, shortly after 8pm, ABC Chief Elections Analyst Antony Green called the election for the CLP shortly after 8pm with a 13.7 per cent swing to the party after large swings.
Ms Lawler has been critical of her predecessor’s decision to let restrictions on alcohol to lapse in mid-2022, legalising booze in dozens of Aboriginal communities for the first time in 15 years.
Asked whether the move was a mistake by the ABC on election night, Ms Fyles said “the short answer is yes”, before adding that “hindsight is a wonderful thing” and that alcohol was “legal product”.
“We know the harm that it causes, but at the same time allowing people that choice to opt out of being a community that could have alcohol, as opposed to making communities dry and then they have to go through a process that allows them to have alcohol... So it’s incredibly complex,” Ms Fyles told the ABC.
“We know that alcohol mandatory treatment doesn’t work. It’s hugely expensive. But, these are policies the CLP have said they’ll scrap, which health professionals around the world have applauded here in the territory.”
Despite criticism, Ms Fyles defended her successor as the first votes started to be tallied, stating that “she certainly hasn’t held back” and was respected for her work before the election.
Both Labor and the Country Liberal Party had campaigned on a platform of being tough on crime, with stubbornly high crime rates and disadvantage, and curfews in Alice Springs centre stage.
The week before the election, Ms Lawler said Labor would deliver a “common sense plan to lower crime” and improve community safety, including a $570m boost to NT Police.
Ms Finocchiaro told SkyNews live debate earlier this week that the CLP’s plan for crime was instead to strengthen bail laws and lower the age of criminal responsibility.
The NT’s struggling economy, high costs of living and stagnant population growth are also seen as being in the CLP’s firing line, as it tries to show a change is needed after eight years of Labor.
The election has also thrown open the door to a number of independents, including self-proclaimed laksa queen Amye Un who claimed “Labor had to go … Only Amye Un can clean up”.
The NT as made headlines in recent years due to high crime rates, including the imposition of night-time curfews in NT, including after two off-duty police were allegedly attacked in July.
The election also comes ahead of a contested race in Queensland later this year where Labor will again defence its record, as well as a looming federal election due to be called next year.
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