Federal election 2016: tough Territory as some seek ‘real Malcolm’

The battle for the marginal NT seat of Solomon has begun in earnest after Malcolm Turnbull made a stopover in Darwin.

The battle for the marginal Northern Territory seat of Solomon has begun in earnest, not without its hiccups, after Malcolm Turnbull made a brief stopover in ­Darwin to deliver on funding promises.

The Prime Minister had tried to woo voters by pledging $30 million for a new road and finally committing $15m for the NT’s first PET cancer scanner, but was pip­ped at the post by Labor, which matched the government’s health announcement a day earlier.

Natasha Griggs, who holds the seat by a 1.4 per cent margin, did not take prime position next to Mr Turnbull as he fielded questions from the press. A local journalist asked him how voters would tell the difference ­between the NT’s scandal-plagued government and the Prime Minister’s candidate, given her connection to the Country Liberal Party. “I have great ­respect for the electors of Solomon, for the people of the Northern Territory, and they understand very well the difference between the Territory government and the federal government,” he replied.

The government also backflipped on its controversial backpacker tax while Mr Turnbull was in the electorate, home to one of Australia’s key horticulture indus­tries. While Mr Turnbull managed to take the heat off himself by having Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer announce the six-month delay and review, he was forced to admit there had been some “issues” and it could have led to labour shortages.

He kept up a tough image on board the Cape Jervis patrol vessel, docked in the Port of Darwin, and applauded Border Force personnel, but was asked why media had not been allowed to take his photo with the ABF logo. After reporters were told the organisation did not want to “politicise” the event, Mr Turnbull conceded the protection of Australia’s borders was a “political issue”.

Not even his first Politics in The Pub event at Darwin’s Lizards bar was an outright success, with some Solomon voters disappointed he “stuck to the script”. One remarked they were left waiting for the “real Malcolm”.

The 337sq km electorate, which swung against Ms Griggs in 2013 when Tony Abbott won government, covers the cities of Darwin and Palmerston and their urban fringes. The territory’s only other electorate, Lingiari, is held by Labor’s Warren Snowdon on an even tinier margin of 0.9 per cent. Perhaps it was those two marginal seats that saw the PM channel Arnold Schwarzenegger on local radio.

“I’ll be back,” he told listeners.