Barnaby Joyce breaks ranks to support the NT’s bid to keep two seats in federal parliament

A BILL to prohibit the NT losing one of its two federal seats has received the support of Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce.

THE fate of the Northern Territory’s besieged second federal seat is one step to becoming clearer, after renegade Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce supported a Labor motion in federal parliament.

The Australian Electoral Commission earlier this year recommended that one of the Territory’s federal seats of Lingiari and Solomon be abolished.

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A bill currently before the Senate, brought in by Labor senators Don Farrell and Malarndirri McCarthy, would preserve the seat of Lingiari.

In the lower house, an amendment to a motion passed which would allow the bill to be voted on with just a simple majority rather an absolute majority of 76.

Currently a number of MPs cannot sit in the chamber due to social distancing requirements.

Barnaby Joyce has signalled he would support a bill preserving the NT’s second seat. Picture Gary Ramage

Labor support the preservation of the second seat while the Liberals don’t. 

The motion passed after Mr Joyce and several key Nationals backers voted with Labor MPs.

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Mr Joyce said he supported the motion, noting that regional communities, particularly in the NT, suffered from lower life expectancy than city seats.

“It’s vitally important that we don’t exacerbate that situation by the removal of yet another regional seat,” he said.

It is understood there are hopes the bill to preserve Lingiari could pass the Senate on Wednesday and could come for a vote in the Lower House this week.

If National MPs support Labor in passing the bill, it would be the first time in 38 years that an opposition bill has become law.