Coalition, Labor neck and neck in pivotal outback seat of Lingiari

Labor and the Country Liberal sources are predicting their candidate will take the vast outback NT seat of Lingiari, which pundits believe could decide who forms government.

CLP Lingiari candidate Damien Ryan. Picture: Jason Edwards

Labor and the Country Liberal sources are predicting their candidate will take the vast outback Northern Territory seat of Lingiari, which pundits believe could decide who forms the next government.

The Territory’s two federal seats – Lingiari and Solomon, covering Greater Darwin – have long been marginal, with Labor’s outgoing MP, Warren Snowdon, managing to retain Lingiari for over two decades.

Solomon has tended to change hands in accordance with the ­national mood.

The Territory’s normally sleepy election contests hosted repeated visits from both federal leaders and enjoyed pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The federal Nationals, supporting the Country Liberals, see Lingiari as their best hope for a win.

Betting odds late on Friday favoured Labor’s Marion Scrymgour over the CLP’s Damien Ryan, $1.25 to $3.75, to take Lingiari. But on-the-ground reports suggested a low Aboriginal turnout could significantly narrow Ms Scrymgour’s margin.

Although Coalition pollsters are understood to think Solomon is in play, frontline campaign workers from both sides predicted sitting Labor MP Luke Gosling would likely be returned.

The Territory’s two Senate spots tend to fall along major-party lines due to the proportional representation system. If that happens again, Labor will be represented by sitting senator Malarndirri McCarthy and the CLP by former lower-house candidate Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.