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ABC News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Lingiari vote count shows Coalition plans failed to inspire the remote NT
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's "Make America Great Again" Donald Trump cap But it wasn't the cap that swayed voters away from the Coalition in the Northern Territory, where Senator Nampijinpa Price was its sole representative re-elected last night. Election essentials: Labor regained the territory's two lower house seats of Solomon and Lingiari. Photo shows Solomon Labor MP smiling in front of a crowd of supports, inside a room. Labor has won the NT seats of Lingiari and Solomon, holding off a challenge from the Country Liberal Party. The Country Liberal Party (CLP) — an NT arm of the Coalition — came close in Solomon, but fell short. So, what happened? Where was the disconnect for the conservatives? Aside from the national trend towards Labor, voters in the territory were offered two very different pathways by Labor and the CLP about how to fix the immense social problems the NT is currently facing. Its high crime rates, its overpopulated prison system, its overloaded health system, its overcrowded remote community housing and its dismal remote education outcomes. Peter Dutton was a frequent visitor to the NT during the election campaign. ( ABC News: Ian Cutmore ) On Senator Nampijinpa Price's side, the Coalition's key promises for the NT Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, a former police officer himself, made it clear any government he led would be on the same page as the current NT CLP government, or at least, that A CLP election corflute showing the party's Solomon candidate, Lisa Bayliss, side-by-side with Lia Finocchiaro. ( ABC News: Michael Donnelly ) That is, plans centred on protecting society by keeping serious lawbreakers off the streets and focusing on longer-term solutions later. The Coalition hooked themselves so closely to the NT government's plans that its territory candidates even appeared next to the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, on election corflutes. Labor, on the other hand, took an alternative route, promising huge funding boosts to Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy spent much of the election campaign in the remote NT, flanked by returning Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour, talking up their policies for As it turns out, residents in Lingiari supported Labor at the ballot box and increased the margin for Ms Scrymgour. Marion Scrymgour has significantly extended Labor's previously slim margin in Lingiari. ( ABC News: Xavier Martin ) At the latest first preference count, Ms Scrymgour had defeated the Coalition's Lingiari candidate Lisa Siebert by more than 5,000 votes, and extended the seat's margin to more than 6 per cent for Labor. "It is about having relationships, it's about having honest conversations with our mob," Ms Scrymgour said in Alice Springs on election night. "And it's about sitting down and rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work. "So, they chose Labor — they want us to do the right thing for them." Labor's Luke Gosling and Malarndirri McCarthy celebrating with supporters at the party's election night event in Darwin. ( ABC News: David O'Shea ) In Solomon, the CLP's promises around crime did seem to gain traction, with the party's candidate Lisa Bayliss receiving more first preferences than Labor. But ultimately it wasn't enough to get her over the line. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Allegations of remote booth misbehaviour The vote in Lingiari has also raised some significant allegations. The remote NT can be out of sight, out of mind, and it can be difficult to gauge exactly what goes on at very remote polling places. Both Senator Nampijinpa Price and Ms Scrymgour have alleged serious wrongdoing by their opposing parties at bush NT voting booths during this election campaign — allegations not yet proven. Remote NT voters swung away from the Coalition and towards Labor. ( ABC News: Jane Bardon ) Ms Scrymgour has alleged that Aboriginal women in unspecified remote communities were targeted "by interstate volunteers for the Liberal Party". "Women didn't want to come to the polling booths, because they felt frightened and intimidated — men were standing over them," she said. Senator Nampijinpa Price on Saturday night urged the ABC to "send an investigative journalist out and watch what occurs at remote polling booths [by Labor]". "The AEC [Australian Electoral Commission] has been alerted to this over and over and do very little to deal with that situation," she said. The AEC said in a statement that it had 'visited around 500 remote communities throughout a two week period with many teams, complicated logistics and no reports that sound like what the senator is describing'. It also said it was checking to see if it had received a specific complaint from Ms Scrymgour. Labor now has a mandate in the bush Whatever the case, even if such allegations are proven, there weren't a huge number of people from remote NT communities changing their votes to instead back the Coalition. Photo shows An election sign of Wil Anderson in a neighbourhood with a dog urinating on it with Gruen Nation Election edition and iview. It's election season and politicians are trying to sell you the world. The team at Gruen isn't about to buy it. They're taking a big swing at the election, showing you how the democracy sausage is made, all the sizzle and none of the meat. The Coalition's policies, such as At least, not enough to flip Lingiari or Solomon. And as Senator McCarthy acknowledged on election night, Labor now has a chance to create real change, that produces actual results in communities. Malarndirri McCarthy says Labor has been "given a mandate" to find a "better way for all Australians". ( ABC News: Jayden O'Neill ) "We have been given a mandate tonight — to find and persevere through a better way for all Australians, especially the First Nations people of Australia," she said. Photo shows Split Jacinta Price Malcolm Turnbull Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price makes a Trumpian sartorial choice. After three years in government, Labor has already made significant promises, Senator Nampijinpa Price has criticised the media for putting so much focus on her MAGA hat, which she's said she wore as a Christmas "stunt" with her husband, and which was ripped from her personal Facebook feed. Now it must be hoped the same level of scrutiny given to that hat can be given to the remote NT, to make sure its federal representatives truly deliver the change they've promised for this term. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
SBS Australia
23-04-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Makaratta hasn't been mentioned during the election campaign, but this Labor MP wants it back on the table
The Lingiari electorate honours Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji man whose activism led to the first successful land rights claim, granted in 1975 by then Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. It's also a seat which encompasses 99 per cent of the Northern Territory and has the highest proportion of Indigenous voters in the country. Labor has held Lingiari for all of the 21 st century. But Marion Scrymgour, the Labor MP elected to the House of Representatives on a razor-thin margin in 2022, is fully aware that every vote in the Northern Territory's 76 remote community is vital. 'I only won this seat by 900 votes the last time," she told Living Black's Karla Grant. "I'm very conscious of that, of working hard to make sure that I do my job." Facing a tough campaign to retain her seat, Scrymgour has priorities for a re-elected Labor government. Scrymgour appears to be a popular figure as she walks through the Todd Mall market in Alice Springs on a Sunday morning. There are smiles and waves as her constituents bail her up for quick chats. But behind the sunny mood is a determination to express the views of the people of Lingiari. Reflecting on the outcome of last year's Voice referendum, Scrymgour said there remained strong support for change among Aboriginal people in her electorate — and frustration that momentum had stalled. 'I think that Aboriginal people and communities want us to continue that journey." While Lingiari voted No in the referendum, the margin was smaller than in many other parts of the country. Data released in the wake of the Voice's defeat revealed that majority Indigenous communities overwhelmingly voted Yes. "You'd have to be tone deaf if you didn't get the message that the bush wanted change," said Scrymgour. "I think out of the 24 booths in the Northern Territory, we won 23 of those booths. "As a re-elected member in Lingiari, I'll do everything that I can ... to elevate those voices in government to make sure that we can take forward the other parts of voice, which is treaty and truth." "I don't disagree with an audit," she said. "[In] my electorate, there are a lot of labour hire companies that are not Indigenous, that are providing a lot of services into those remote Aboriginal communities for very little outcome. "There are some that are doing a great job, but there's a lot that need to be looked at,' she said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has frequently visited Lingiari's main population centre of Alice Springs (Mparntwe) and highlighted problems of youth crime and domestic violence. While acknowledging that crime is an issue in Alice Springs Ms Scrymgour said, 'I think youth crime across Australia there are issues and I think it probably wouldn't hurt for the Prime Minister and all the ministers for youth to have a national cabinet that deals with youth crime across the board because we've got a mishmash of legislation that is just demonising young people." 'I'm sorry, I don't agree with locking children up as young as 10 in detention. "Rather than the punitive approach, we need to try and work with families so we get a better outcome for young people, rather than just locking them up.' As the campaign heads into its final weeks, Scrymgour spoke candidly about the immense personal challenges she's faced over the past year. 'I'm nervous. It's been hard work and there have been plenty of challenges," she said, reflecting on the deeply personal struggles she has encountered in recent months. Her daughter has been battling cancer, her sister has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and her son continues to face struggles with addiction. Despite these challenges, Scrymgour remains resolute in her commitment to her role as a representative for her electorate. 'The biggest challenge is making sure I represent everybody and that their voices are heard loud and clear in Canberra.' Living Black airs Tuesdays at 8.30pm on NITV and is available on SBS On Demand after broadcast.
