SEATS IN FOCUS: Preferences could unseat Wakefield in Braitling
WHO wins the seat of Braitling on August 22 is still anyone’s guess
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WHO wins the seat of Braitling on August 22 is anyone’s guess.
It is certainly expected to see a swing away from Labor and CLP candidate Josh Burgoyne, Territory Alliance candidate Dale McIver and current sitting independent MLA Scott McConnell have ensured Labor’s Dale Wakefield has her work cut out to hold the seat.
The Alice Springs electorate of Braitling is traditionally a safe CLP seat, excluding Labor’s win in 2016 and when it was held by ex-CLP turned independent Loraine Braham from 2001-08.
Wakefield pulled off a shock victory by defeating sitting chief minister Adam Giles in 2016, winning by only 27 votes after preferences.
Prominent NT political scientist Rolf Gerritsen, based in Alice Springs, said he expected there would be a notable swing back to the CLP in Braitling this year.
“Dale squeezed in last time so the question is will this swing be big enough to boot her out,” he said.
“It will come down to preferences. If they all go to Labor and against the CLP she might be able to hold on to it. Which is why preferences deals with Territory Alliance and Greens will likely play a big role here.
“Dale’s been an effective local member but the issue of crime may attract a protest vote against her.”
Federal voting numbers suggest Labor is under real threat of losing Braitling. In 2019, the majority of people there voted for CLP’s Lingiari candidate Jacinta Price 416 to 285. Mr Gerritsen said Braitling’s recent redistribution would work in Labor’s favour.
It is expected to boost the party’s margin to about three per cent.
“There’s certainly a star studded field of candidates in Braitling so it’s going to be hard won either way,” he said.
“Now that the NT Greens have announced a candidate I expect this will erode a lot of the protest vote Independent Scott McConnell’s (currently Stuart MLA) would have got.
“He’s taken an calculated risk to switch seats but I suspect it won’t pay off.”
CANDIDATES:
NAME: Dale Wakefield
PARTY: Labor
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: I have been a strong voice for Alice Springs since my first day as the Member for Braitling. I’m proud to have delivered more police, more teachers, more youth programs, a new palliative care unit at the Alice Springs Hospital with more staff accommodation and a new car park to come. I’ve spearheaded the transition to renewables including rooftop solar on local schools in Braitling. We came to government with only 2 per cent renewables and we are now at almost 16 per cent. I will work hard to keep Alice Springs the wonderful place that it is, but also to ensure that we are well placed to grab hold of 21st Century opportunities.
NAME: Scott McConnell
PARTY: Independent
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: I have Parliamentary experience, having served Stuart Electorate for the past 4 years, and I have developed a deeper understanding of how parliament should work. I am passionate about sustainable regional economic development. My diverse employment background includes pastoralism, land management, tourism, and community and business development. I will collaborate with regional and remote electorates on common interests against the Darwin machine of self-interest. As an Independent, I will amplify the voices of my constituents, not that of a political party. As a resolute Independent Member, I will negotiate good outcomes from whichever major party is able to form Government.
NAME: Joshua Burgoyne
PARTY: Country Liberal Party
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: A born and bred Territorian, I grew up in Alice Springs, my mother worked at the Alice Springs Hospital and dad was a policeman.
I attended Braitling Primary School and completed my NTCE at St Philip’s College. I’m a qualified electrician and have worked across the Territory in many industries including mining, agriculture, and building. My real-world experiences, coupled with my ability to see the bigger picture through all the stages of project implementation, makes me the best candidate for the seat of Braitling. As part of a new Country Liberal Party team, we will work together to achieve better outcomes for local businesses, better investment in the Territory, and a better lifestyle for all Territorians.
NAME: Kim Hopper
PARTY: Independent
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: I’m a small-business owner with a young family. I am deeply committed to the health and prosperity of our region. I’ve lived and worked in Braitling for over a decade and been a key driver of many community-based initiatives, including the recent Buy Alice Collective. I am not party aligned so I am in the best position to represent the needs of the Braitling Electorate without compromise. I believe we must be working much harder to embrace local solutions to strengthen our economy. My priorities are affordable clean energy for businesses and households, protecting our water, banning fracking and fixing the unfair priority school enrolment zones. Together we can improve the lives of all Territorians.
NAME: Dale McIver
PARTY: Territory Alliance
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: As a born and raised Alice Springs local for over 43 years and a super proud Territorian this place is in my heart – I even reckon the red dirt runs through my veins. I have worked in many local Territory businesses, chaired the Regional Tourism Board for 5 years and sat on the Board of Tourism NT and the Chamber of Commerce Executive. During that time, I have been a strong voice and advocate for Alice Springs. I believe that big party politics has not always given local people in Braitling a true voice at the NT parliament. A Territory Alliance government will reinstate a Minister for Central Australia, ensuring a strong voice for the local community in parliament and one that will bring about positive change.
NAME: Peltherre Chris Tomlins
PARTY: NT Greens
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: I’m running as an NT Greens candidate in Mparntwe for the election to use their political platform to heighten the responsibility that as adults, we must make sure that the children of our future generations are healthy and culturally connected. We must prioritise that kids stay on country and not get caught up in the criminal justice system, in custody. Our community must be youth centred. Keeping young ones out of the system and out of detention centres is preventing deaths in custody.
NAME: Marli Banks
PARTY: Australian Federation Party
WHY PEOPLE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU: I am committed to making safe Alice Springs and protecting against the Compulsory acquisition of Anzac Oval. Our community needs urgent refresh of leadership that will make sure our voice is heard in parliament for the best interest Braitling. The motivation to run for the seat of Braitling comes from the frustration of poor decisions and neglect of our town by this government.
HISTORY: The seat of Braitling was created before the 1983 election and has shifted boundaries around Alice Springs over the years, now spanning across the north of town on both sides of the Todd River. The seat is traditionally considered a very safe for the Country Liberal Party. It was held by CLP’s Roger Vale from 1983-1994 and succeeded by Loraine Braham who was initially elected as a representative of the CLP, serving in that role from 1994-2001, but she was disendorsed by the party before the 2001 election. She contested the seat as an independent winning in 2001 and again in 2005. Braham was also the first woman Speaker, holding the position between 1997 and 1999 and 2001-05. She retired at the 2008 election and Braitling returned to its traditional status as a safe Country Liberal seat with the election of Adam Giles. The former CLP chief minister held onto the seat for two terms before being ousted in the 2016 election by Labor’s Dale Wakefield in an upset victory. Braitling is named after the local pioneering family of Mrs Doreen Braitling of Mount Doreen Station.
AREA/SUBURBS:The division of Braitling covers the northwestern part of Alice Springs and includes the suburbs of Braitling, Ciccone, most of East Side, Larapinta, Irlpme, and parts of Alice Springs Town. The redistribution saw the division loose about 1800 electors including the suburb of Larapinta to Namatjira while gaining around 300 voters east of the Todd from Araluen.
2016 RESULTS: Labor’s Dale Wakefield got 50.3 per cent of the two party preferred vote with former CLP chief minister Adam Giles on 49.7 per cent. She won by 27 votes after preferences. The redistribution is expected to increase Labor’s margin from a narrow 0.3 per cent to an estimated 3.0 per cent.
PREVIOUS MEMBERS:
Roger Vale (CLP) 1983–1994
Loraine Braham (CLP) 1994–2001
Loraine Braham (independent) 2001–2008
Adam Giles (CLP) 2008–2016
Dale Wakefield (Labor) 2016 – present
ENROLLED VOTERS: 5687 as at May 2020
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