‘Pointing to a very bad defeat’ for Labor: Green
Written by admin on August 24, 2024
ABC Chief Elections Analyst Antony Green has warned “everything is pointing to a very bad defeat for Labor” in the Northern Territory, as the opposition takes and commanding early lead.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler is seeking to extend Labor’s eight year hold over the top end, with 25 seats up for grabs when counting official kicks off at 6.30pm on Saturday.
But, shortly after 8pm ABC had already called nine seats for the Country Labor Party with just under 7 per cent of the vote counted, with Labor at three and another candidate with one.
It comes after former NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has admitted allowing alcohol restrictions in remote Aboriginal communities to lapse was a mistake.
Ms Lawler has been critical of her predecessor’s decision to let restrictions on alcohol to lapse in mid-2022, legalising booze in dozens of Aboriginal communities for the first time in 15 years.
Asked whether 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 “legal product”.
“We know the harm that it causes, but at the same time allowing people that choice to opt out of being a community that could have alcohol, as opposed to making communities dry and then they have to go through a process that allows them to have alcohol… So it’s incredibly complex,” Ms Fyles told the ABC.
“We know that alcohol mandatory treatment doesn’t work. It’s hugely expensive. But, these are policies the CLP have said they’ll scrap, which health professionals around the world have applauded here in the territory.”
Despite criticism, Ms Fyles defended her successor as the first votes started to be tallied, stating that “she certainly hasn’t held back” and was respected for her work before the election.
As of about 8pm, Ms Fyles was already discussing the prospect of Labor taken “second or third place” as CLP took a significant early lead with six seats as opposed to Labor’s two, according to the ABC.
Both Labor and the Country Liberal Party have campaigned on a platform of being tough on crime, with stubbornly high crime rates and disadvantage, and curfews in Alice Springs centre stage.
The week before the election, Ms Lawler said Labor would deliver a “common sense plan to lower crime” and improve community safety, including a $570 million boost to NT Police.
Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro told SkyNews live debate earlier this week that the CLP’s plan for crime was instead to strengthen bail laws and lower the age of criminal responsibility.
The NT’s struggling economy, high costs of living and stagnant population growth are also seen as being in the CLP’s firing line, as it tries to show a change is needed after eight years of Labor.
The election has also thrown open the door to a number of independents, including self-proclaimed laksa queen Amye Un who claimed “Labor had to go … Only Amye Un can clean up”.
The NT as made headlines in recent years due to high crime rates, including the imposition of night-time curfews in NT, including after two off-duty police were allegedly attacked in July.
The election also comes ahead of a contested race in Queensland later this year where Labor will again defence its record, as well as a looming federal election due to be called next year.
