Call for nominations as countdown begins to the 2025 NT Local Government Elections

Territorians must return to the ballot box in exactly one month to decide who’ll represent their interests on day to day issues including roads, rates and rubbish.

Territorians will head back to the polls in exactly one month for the 2025 Local Government Elections. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Territorians are heading back to the polls in exactly one month to decide who will represent their interests on day to day issues including roads, rates and rubbish.

Northern Territory local government elections will be held on August 23 – involving 54 elections for 144 vacancies across 16 local councils.

The NT has five municipal councils (Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine, Litchfield and Palmerston), three shire councils (Wagait, Coomalie and Belyuen), and 10 regional councils (Barkly, Central Desert, East Arnhem, Groote Archipelago, MacDonnell, Roper Gulf, Tiwi Islands, Victoria Daly, West Arnhem and West Daly).

Residents of the Groote Archipelago Regional Council and Barkly Regional Council areas will not have to return to the polls this year, having both elected new councils in the past 12 months.

At the last NT local government election in 2021, only 303 people applied for 159 vacancies – the majority of them men aged 50 or above.

The low numbers of nominees meant 13 councillors were elected uncontested, one ward had only one person for two vacancies, and another ward had no-one apply at all.

LGANT (Local Government Association of the Northern Territory) CEO Mary Watson. Pic: Supplied.

The peak body representing local governments in the NT said getting more people to run for council – and more people turning out to vote – was key to maintaining the legitimacy of local government in the Territory.

“Our campaign is really around encouraging anyone who cares about their neighbourhood and community to think about nominating for local government council,” Local Government Association of the NT chief executive Mary Watson said.

“Councils are the sphere of government closest to the community. You know, the old saying is it’s roads, rates and rubbish, but really councils do so much more.

“They’re the level of government that knows their community best and what their community’s priorities are, and they can lead place-based community development.”

Key dates for the 2025 NT Local Government Elections

• July 31: Candidate nominations close
• August 1: Candidates confirmed, ballot positions drawn
• August 4: Postal votes commence
• August 11: Early and mobile voting commences
• August 23: Election day

Council services include maintaining local roads and roadsides, waste management, local facilities such as parks, public toilets, cemeteries, sports grounds and swimming pools.

Unlike most other jurisdictions in the country, Territory councils do not have responsibility for planning decisions.

NT Electoral Commissioner Kirsten Kelly. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Each council in the NT has between five and 13 councillors, depending on its size.

All five municipal councils (plus Barkly Regional Council) elect their mayors by popular vote, meaning voters will be offered two ballot papers on election day.

NT Electoral Commissioner Kirsten Kelly said the format for voting would be similar to that of the 2024 NT general election.

“Where there’s 10 or more people on the electoral roll a voting service is provided,” she said.

“So our teams will be visiting over 160 remote communities to provide voting services.

“At the moment nominations are still open so our key message is, if you’re thinking about nominating as a candidate, now’s the time.”

Originally published as Call for nominations as countdown begins to the 2025 NT Local Government Elections