Northern Territory Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro hailed a “new day” for the party’s leadership after handing Labor a crushing election defeat after eight years in power.
The CLP won a landslide victory with at least 15 seats in the 25-seat parliament, while the Labour Party was reduced to just four seats at the close of the count. Independents have two seats so far.
Outgoing First Minister Eva Lawler also lost her seat.
Labor’s defeat in the Top End is likely to raise concerns at the federal level as the Albanese government prepares for an election in May next year.
Federal National Party leader David Littleproud said the result showed Labor was “under a bit of pressure” at the moment.
“Crime is out of control in the Northern Territory. Their economic circumstances are collapsing and the Prime Minister has been the focus of that problem,” Littleproud told Nine on Sunday.
“So obviously there are some important lessons for all of us.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles sidestepped questions about the impact of the result at federal level, saying local issues such as crime were the cause of Labor’s defeat.
Northern Territory Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro has hailed a “new day” for the party’s leadership after handing Labor a crushing election defeat after eight years in power.
“We are focused on doing the job at hand,” Marles told Sky News Sunday Agenda.
“There is no doubt that the biggest problem facing Australians now is the cost of living.”
On Saturday night, Ms Finocchiaro said loyal Territory residents had voted to hold “a bad Labor government” to account.
The granddaughter of Italian immigrants said the result was “a turning point in the future of the Territory” and vowed to take action in particular on the region’s high crime rates.
“The Territorians have used their voice to stand up to the Labor Party, which has taken them for granted for too long,” said Finocchiaro, accompanied by her husband and two children.
“The Territory’s residents have faced nearly two decades of rising crime, economic decline and the erosion of our once iconic way of life. But tomorrow marks the start of a new day.”
Ms Finocchiaro, who is set to become the NT’s 14th First Minister, said residents had spoken “loud and clear, they want to live in a safe community where policing is backed by better laws”.
Defeated First Minister Ms Lawler also lost her own seat of Drysdale after massive and surprise swings to the CLP.
Fighting back tears, Ms Lawler told the party faithful shortly after 9pm that after a “tough, difficult fight in this campaign… unfortunately we have not managed to get across the line tonight”.
“It has been an absolute privilege to be the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. It has also been an absolute privilege to be the MP for Drysdale,” Lawler said on Saturday.
Labor’s defeat in the Top End is likely to raise concerns at the federal level as the Albanese government prepares for an election in May next year.
‘Tonight is a difficult night for the Labour Party, a really difficult night for the Labour Party. It wasn’t the result we wanted to see, but I think some of those votes, some of those decisions, were taken a long time ago.
“I know that people in the Territory wanted change. We heard that loud and clear… I think we’ve left the Northern Territory in a much better position than we were before.”
Ms Lawler said she had congratulated Ms Finocchiaro and that Labor would not “denigrate the Northern Territory” in opposition and would “be constructive”.
Lawler, who replaced Natasha Fyles, was seeking to extend Labor’s eight-year dominance at the top end, with 25 seats up for grabs when official counting began at 6 p.m.
But, shortly after 8pm, ABC chief election analyst Antony Green declared the election for the CLP shortly after 8pm with a 13.7 per cent swing to the party after wide swings.
Former First Minister Natasha Fyles told the ABC the result so far, with the CLP on 10 seats and Labor on four, shortly after 8.30pm according to the ABC, was “extremely disappointing”.
Ms Lawler has criticised her predecessor’s decision to let alcohol restrictions lapse in mid-2022, legalising alcohol in dozens of Aboriginal communities for the first time in 15 years.
Asked if the move was a mistake by the ABC on election night, Ms Fyles said “the short answer is yes”, before adding that “hindsight is a wonderful thing” and that alcohol was “a legal product”.
“We know the harm it causes, but at the same time allowing people the option to opt out of being a community that could have alcohol, rather than making communities dry and then having to go through a process to be allowed to have alcohol… So it’s incredibly complex,” Ms Fyles told the ABC.
“We know that compulsory treatment for alcoholism doesn’t work. It’s very expensive. But these are policies that the PLC has said it will eliminate, something that health professionals around the world have applauded here in the territory.”
Despite the criticism, Ms Fyles defended her successor as the first votes began to be counted, saying she “certainly hasn’t held back” and was respected for her work ahead of the election.
By 8pm, Ms Fyles was already discussing the possibility of Labor coming “second or third” as the CLP took a significant early lead with six seats compared to Labor’s two, according to the ABC.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles deflected questions about the impact of the result at federal level, saying local issues such as crime were the driving force behind Labor’s defeat.
Both Labor and the Rural Liberal Party have campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, with persistently high crime rates and disadvantage, 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.
Ms 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 due to high crime rates, including the imposition of nightly curfews in the Northern Territory, including 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.
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