The Northern Territory heads to the polls in a tight race as party leaders Eva Lawler and Lia Finocchiaro spar over crime rates

Voting is underway across the Northern Territory, from rugged Central Australia to Darwin and the sparsely populated tropics, with a tight contest expected between Labor and the Rural Liberal Party.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler is seeking to extend Labor’s eight-year hold on the Top End, with 25 seats up for grabs when counting officially begins at 6.30pm on Saturday.

Both Labor and the Rural Liberal Party have campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, with persistently high crime rates and curfews in Alice Springs as central points.

In the week before the election, Ms Lawler said Labor would introduce a “common-sense plan to reduce crime” and improve community safety, including a $570 million boost to the Northern Territory Police.

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro told a live debate on SkyNews earlier this week that the CLP’s plan on crime was instead to strengthen bail laws and lower the age of criminal responsibility.

The NT’s ailing economy, high living costs and stagnant population growth are also in the CLP’s firing line as it tries to show change is needed after eight years of Labor rule.

The election also opened the door for a number of independents, including self-proclaimed laksa queen Amye Un, who said “Labor had to go… Only Amye Un can clean up.”

The Northern Territory has been in the news in recent years for high crime rates, including the imposition of nightly curfews after two off-duty police officers were allegedly attacked in July.

The election also comes ahead of a contested by-election in Queensland later this year, where Labor will again defend its record, as well as a looming federal election due next year.

First Minister Eva Lawler (pictured) is seeking to extend Labor’s eight-year hold on the NT