Northern Territory election: Country Liberals promise crime crackdown after historic win
Chief minister elect Lia Finocchiaro has emphatically declared law and order her ‘number one priority’ after the Country Liberal Party’s historic win in the NT election.
Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro has emphatically declared law and order is her “number one priority”, as the CLP becomes the first Coalition equivalent to oust a Labor government since 2018.
“It’s amazing to now have the opportunity to do something different for the Territory,” Ms Finocchiaro, 39, told The Australian following an overwhelming election win.
“We know Labor have been in power for a very long time, and this is a new chapter for the Territory. We really are focused on making sure we deliver on all of our commitments, because they are what Territorians have been talking to us about.
Ms Finocchiaro said her first priority to address youth crime in places such as Alice Springs would be “backing in our police” and holding parents responsible.
“It starts with backing in our police, passing laws that meet our community’s expectations, it also then is about getting kids to school,” Ms Finocchiaro told The Australian.
“This is something we are very focused on, giving every single Territory child a better future and so we will hold parents accountable.
“We will put in place measures to get kids to school, we want healthy kids, healthy families, living healthy lives,” she said.
“That’s that’s the work we’ve got to do now, and it starts with law reform in the first week of parliament.”
She said she would bring back truancy officers to keep students in school.
“If parents and families can’t, then we will,” she said. “We don’t think it’s an option to let kids not have access to education, and we’ll do everything we can to protect their right to have an education.
“Territorians have spoken loud and clear that Labor has ignored them for too long and we take this responsibility very seriously, and we will not let Territorians down,” she said.
Lawler loses seat
Labor chief minister for the past eight months – Eva Lawler – also lost her seat. The election campaign was fought largely on the issue of crime, particularly in Alice Springs where violence coincided with renewed access to alcohol in the wake of Howard-era restrictions that lapsed. The result was sustained chaos and a spotlight on family dysfunction and vulnerable youth. The CLP held power from 2012 to 2016 but before that it was not in government since 1997.
“Territorians have stood up against nearly two decades of crime, an economy going backwards and a once iconic lifestyle,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
In the NT, 13 seats are needed to form majority government. Labor went into Saturday’s election holding 14 seats, the CLP seven and independents held four seats. It appeared likely late on Saturday that the CLP would claim 15 seats.
Federal opposition spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the former deputy mayor of Alice Springs and a Warlpiri-Celtic woman, said Anthony Albanese had failed the Northern Territory during the Alice Springs crisis.
“This has probably played into that. There has been $250 million invested into Central Australia to deal with the crime issue and we don’t know what’s happened with that,” she said.
“We don’t know where it is supposed to have gone.”
The Lawler Labor government in the NT promised during the election campaign that the top end’s dire financial status would begin to turn around within 18 months off the back of a range of emerging industries including the Beetaloo Basin gas project. However, the NT’s net debt has blown out from $1.8bn to almost $11bn and Ms Finocchiaro said Territorians felt there was little to show for it.
Senator Nampijinpa Price said on Sky News Australia’s election night panel on Saturday that the Prime Minister’s appearance at the Garma festival in northeast Arnhem Land this month – where he announced Indigenous economic development in part through renewables – demonstrated he was anti-mining.
“You know he’s come to Garma and he’s talked a big talk. He’s got this green obsession. He’s been anti-mining, anti-development and Territorians want their economy to flourish. They want mining.”
Soon after the CLP’s victory in the NT was acknowledged by the territory’s Labor leader Eva Lawler, Senator Nampijinpa Price said: “I think the Coalition, we can be quite confident going toward the next federal election”.
“We’ve certainly been listening to Australians and we’ll know what to deliver for Australians going forward into the next election.”
More Coverage
The verdict: How the Miles v Crisafulli debate played out
The unanswered question from today’s Queensland leaders’ debate was this: how long can David Crisafulli hold his nerve?
It’s time for a change, ‘evasive’ Crisafulli wins
David Crisafulli was evasive on policy specifics, but the LNP leader has won the second Queensland leaders’ debate solely on his argument that it’s time for a change after a decade of Labor in power.