Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
Voting closes, count begins in NT election

The polls have closed in the Northern Territory election with Chief Minister Michael Gunner ruling out his Labor party forming a minority government.

August 22, 2020

Top End voters are set to deliver the first test of an Australian political leader’s coronavirus management, with polls closing in the Northern Territory election.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has faced both criticism and praise for his tough stance on border closures, but says he has done it in the name of saving the territory’s economy and protecting territorians’ health.

The Labor leader has ruled out his party’s involvement in a minority government, which pundits say is a possibility.

He is tipped to retain power – seeing off a challenge from Country Liberal Party and newcomers Territory Alliance – but he concedes there’s a chance his numbers in the 25-seat parliament could slip from the current 16.

Territorians may not see a result on Saturday night due to social distancing requirements at counting centres, with a majority of votes cast early.

Only about 20 per cent of voters were expected to have cast their ballots on election day itself.

“No deals. Stability and certainty, no deals,” Mr Gunner told reporters when asked of his willingness to form a minority government.

“Particularly during a public health emergency.”

Labor has campaigned on its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which saw the NT suffer just 33 cases, telling voters it’s the party to see them through the crisis.

“We are asking them to choose between secure borders or open borders,” Mr Gunner said.

Despite its success protecting Territorians from COVID-19, the Gunner government has been criticised for its handling of the economy – rated as the nation’s worst performer by CommSec for the June quarter.

Mother-of-two Brydie Hill said she’s not worried about the NT’s finances and voted Labor because of their environmental programs.

“I’m not sure everybody should be trying to make the Territory Singapore,” she said when asked about the economy.

“If people move away and Darwin gets smaller, it won’t bother me.”

CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro has repeatedly pointed to the NT’s skyrocketing debt during the campaign, saying 11,000 jobs had been lost on Labor’s watch.

“We want the territory to be a can-do place that it used to be. This government has squandered that opportunity to make people’s lives better,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro has promised to fast-track major projects and simplify mining taxes to “signal to the world the territory is open for business”.

Retiree John Britton says he voted for CLP in the past but supported Labor this election.

“The last six months have been tough and I think they’ve done as good a job as anywhere and deserve another go,” he said.

Ms Finocchiaro has also ruled out doing deals to secure power, saying she was fighting hard to win a majority in parliament.

It’s a view shared by the Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills who says the pollsters and bookies tipping Labor have got it wrong.

“They didn’t predict Morrison. They didn’t predict that change,” he said.

Mr Mills has also promised to reactivate the Top End’s ailing economy but unlike the CLP and Labor, Territory Alliance won’t support onshore gas-fracking projects, which have been touted as a potential saviour for the NT’sĀ financial woes.

Plans to frack in the Beetaloo Basin have caused concern among many voters, with fears it could jeopardise groundwater and Australia’s efforts to meet the Paris emissions reduction target.

It has led to the NT Greens running nine candidates and activist group GetUp reportedly handing out how-to-vote cards in six seats, including two exceptionally marginal Labor electorates.

Mr Mills, a former CLP chief minister and architect of the year-old Alliance party, said hydraulic fracturing doesn’t have a social licence to operate in the NT and if Territorians support it, they can “vote for the other two parties”.

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