Barton Deakin Brief – Northern Territory Election 2024

NORTHERN TERRITORY ELECTION: CLP ELECTED AS NEW CHIEF MINISTER LIA FINOCCHIARO APPOINTS FIRST MINISTRY

The 2024 Northern Territory election took place on Saturday, 24th August, and now that counting has finished, the Country Liberal Party has gained a 10.4% swing on the back of a strong 48.9% primary vote compared to the ALP’s 28.8%.

The CLP, led by Lia Finocchiaro, now hold 17 seats, reducing the Labor caucus to 4. The Greens have picked up their first Northern Territory Parliament seat and independents hold the remaining 3 seats in the 25-member parliament.

New Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro appointed her first ministry (attached) on Monday 9 September and said “the CLP has been given a mandate to deliver change for all Territorians and our new Cabinet will ensure a better Northern Territory for everyone.”

The Chief Minister declared that community safety was her government’s first priority and that her Cabinet is focused on rebuilding the economy and restoring the Territory’s reputation as a competitive destination to live, work, visit and invest.

Key Issues and Policy Platform

The CLP went to the election with three key pillars: reducing crime, rebuilding the economy and restoring the NT’s lifestyle.

It is worthy of note that Finocchiaro has taken the role of Minister of Police, in addition to being Chief Minister, highlighting how fundamental the law and order agenda will be for the new government.

As Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley takes responsibility for portfolios key to growing the NT’s economy. As Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mining and Energy, and Renewables, he will play an important role in generating economic activity and create future jobs.

Of interest to potential investors in the Northern Territory, the Chief Minister has also been appointed Minister for Territory Coordinator. This is an election commitment to “ensure major projects are fought for, started quickly, and completed on time. It will also be able to intervene on decision making when government is taking too long to finalise a decision.”

At the same time as the new ministry was sworn in, a number of machinery of government changes have been made to departments in the NT. The number of departments has increased from 12 to 18. The government has claimed that the new structure will provide for a “more specialised public service with technical expertise within smaller departments, empowering quicker and informed decisions that are made closer to the ground.” Responsibilities of the new departments can be found here.

Ken Davies PSM remains CEO of the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet.

Looking Ahead: What to expect

The newly formed government will face several immediate challenges, including balancing the demands of a growing urban population with the needs of regional and remote areas. The focus on law enforcement will test the government’s ability to reduce crime while ensuring community support. Additionally, economic challenges will require strong leadership to bolster sectors like tourism, energy, and mining while ensuring that regional development is inclusive of Indigenous communities.

For the Labor opposition, former health minster Selena Uibo becomes the first Indigenous woman to lead a major political party in Australia.

Further Information

For further information, please contact Matthew Harris, Director Barton Deakin, at [email protected]

To stay up to date with the affairs of Coalition Governments and Oppositions around Australia, you can follow Barton Deakin on Twitter and LinkedIn.