Labor sources confirm Natasha Fyles and Nicole Manison to battle it out to become Chief Minister

What could be the final battle to become the Territory’s next Chief Minister is on between two Labor heavyweights.

UPDATE, 4.40PM: NATASHA Fyles and Nicole Manison are locked in a desperate tussle for the leadership of the Labor Party.

Key sources have confirmed the pair are set for a showdown after Michael Gunner’s stunning resignation on Tuesday.

Labor ministers and backbenchers were spotted in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday afternoon glued to their phones.

The fate of Joel Bowden is not yet clear, although rumours had been circulating he had dropped out of the race.

Ms Manison comes from the Right faction while Ms Fyles comes from the Left, setting up a factional war which, if not resolved before Friday morning, could lead to a public four-week leadership ballot of every rank-and-file member of the Labor Party.

While some Right sources earlier on Thursday had predicted a “coronation for Manison” and said confidently she had the support of the majority of caucus, sources on the Left say Fyles is now pushing for the leadership.

The two women are – aside from Mr Gunner – the most prominent faces of the Labor government.

Nicole Manison has held the Deputy leadership, police ministry and the high profile mining portfolio in recent years, while Ms Fyles has been the face of the Territory’s pandemic response as Health Minister.

The pair were singled out by Mr Gunner during his resignation press conference for their tireless work and dedication to their portfolios.

UPDATE, 11.20AM: LABOR’S Right faction may need to give Joel Bowden a prominent economics portfolio and potentially even make him Treasurer, to ward off a potential challenge on Friday.

Multiple sources have said Mr Bowden, who hails from the Left faction, would like a frontbench role in that area. One source said they’d heard he was ambitious for the Treasury portfolio.

If he doesn’t get what he wants, he could decide to drag the party to a rank-and-file ballot for the leadership, which could last up to four weeks.

Deputy Speaker Joel Bowden. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

It would be a major frustration for Territory Labor, which should be trying to focus its efforts on winning the seat of Lingiari at next week’s federal election.

Mr Bowden has been contacted for comment on these claims.

The Member for Johnson was on Thursday given a thinly-veiled warning to back off any leadership ambitions by Eva Lawler, who said anyone aspiring to be Chief Minister should have ministerial experience. They were interpreted as a swipe at Mr Bowden, who has sat on the backbench since his election in 2020.

EARLIER, 9AM THURS: EVA Lawler has said any politician wanting to be Chief Minister would need to have had frontbench experience, in an apparent slapdown of leadership contender Joel Bowden.

Mr Bowden has been rumoured to be doing the numbers for the leadership ahead of a caucus meeting on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Ms Lawler fired a subtle salvo at Mr Bowden, who has never held a frontbench portfolio since being elected in 2020.

“You do need to have that background as a minister before you become a Chief Minister,” she said.

“That is my personal opinion, because it is absolutely complex work.”

Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister Eva Lawler. Picture: Floss Adams

Ms Lawler then doubled down on that stance later in the press conference.

“Anybody can put their hand up to say that they want to be Chief Minister, but my personal opinion is I think that grounding as a minister is really important.

Ms Lawler, who hails from the right faction, also name-dropped the left faction’s Chansey Paech and gave him a glowing endorsement for his work since entering the Territory parliament in 2020.

And she said Ms Manison was the “logical choice” for the leadership, given the Acting Chief Minister’s frontbench experience.

UPDATE 2PM WED: JOEL Bowden is looking increasingly likely to put his hand up to become the next Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

Rumours have been swirling not long after Michael Gunner resigned that Mr Bowden was sounding out numbers.

The NT News understands he is putting feelers out to contest the leadership.

When contacted on a number of occasions by the NT News, Mr Bowden refused to deny he would challenge for the leadership.

Mr Bowden hails from Territory Labor’s left faction, which also includes Natasha Fyles.

The NT News contacted the offices of Nicole Manison, Natasha Fyles, Selena Uibo and Chansey Paech on Wednesday to ask whether they would definitively rule themselves in or out of the leadership challenge. They all stuck to the script, saying the party would convene to select a new Chief Minister on Friday.

In Question Time on Wednesday, Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister Eva Lawler was asked whether she had put her hand up to be Chief Minister.

Ms Lawler replied that everyone in Labor “gets on with each other” but didn’t directly answer whether she had her eyes set on the top job.

UPDATE 9AM WED: ATTORNEY-GENERAL Selena Uibo has been urged to run for Chief Minister in Friday’s leadership ballot.

The NT News understands Ms Uibo has been told by at least one MLA to run for the top job.

She is considered unaligned within Labor’s factional system.

Both Michael Gunner and Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison hail from the right faction, while Joel Bowden and Health Minister Natasha Fyles are aligned with the Left.

Minister Selena Uibo. Picture: Floss Adams.

Ms Manison has been tipped as the most likely successor following Mr Gunner’s shock resignation on Tuesday.

The outgoing Chief Minister identified both Ms Manison and Ms Fyles as instrumental to his government’s success.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Manison refused to be drawn on whether she would contest the leadership ballot on Friday.

Other sources have told the NT News Joel Bowden was spotted out to dinner on Monday night with Chansey Paech, the night before Mr Gunner resigned.

“There might have been some rumour mongering at that stage,” one source said.

Mr Paech was then spotted out to dinner with Ms Uibo on Tuesday night, after the Chief Minister’s dramatic resignation.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 3PM: NICOLE Manison is the only person within Labor to put her hand up to become Chief Minister, Labor sources say.

The NT News understands the Deputy Chief Minister has voiced her intention to run internally.

Ms Manison has not publicly signalled whether she wanted to run to replace Michael Gunner, and there were rumours circulating she did not have the numbers or was not interested in running.

On numerous occasions on Tuesday and Wednesday, she refused to rule herself in or out, saying the caucus would meet on Friday to elect a new Chief Minister.

More sources have also corroborated earlier reports that Joel Bowden is also exploring a potential tilt for the leadership, but downplayed any chance of him winning.

They say Mr Bowden’s decision to run has put noses out of joint within the Left faction, particularly with Natasha Fyles.

EARLIER: THERE will be a new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory on Friday, according to Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison.

Under Labor’s rules there must be a unanimous decision otherwise the vote goes out to the rank and file, which could take up to four weeks.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Ms Manison guaranteed “there will be one Chief Minister walking out on Friday”.

However, the NT News understands there are frantic negotiations going on behind the scenes between the left and right factions, meaning there won’t be a clear winner during the initial vote.

Ms Manison was asked whether she’d be vying for the top job but failed to give a clear answer.

“We are a government that are focused on what the Territory needs and there are discussions that will happen in caucus on Friday,” she said in answer to the question.

She also failed to answer the question what would happen if two people put their hand up for the top job.

The acting Chief Minister was also grilled on the timing of outgoing Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s resignation, which Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro said was a smokescreen for a “quitters” budget.

Ms Manison gave her best wishes to outgoing Chief Minister Michael Gunner and denied his the timing of his departure being anything but genuine.

“We saw yesterday a very sincere delivery from him and they were very much the real reasons why Michael has made those decisions,” she said.

“I have seen him work so hard for almost 6 years so I just wish him well for his future.”

In response to the CLP’s scathing review of the budget, Ms Manison said the speech had “some points there that I thought was frankly undignified a and really set a new low bar.”

Originally published as Labor sources confirm Natasha Fyles and Nicole Manison to battle it out to become Chief Minister