Nightcliff By-Election: Shaping NT Government

0:00From the streets of Sydney to the world, this is Sydney News Today. Voters in the Darwin suburb of Nycliffe are casting ballots today in a key by election for the Northern Territory Parliament. The urban progressive seat briefly gave the Greens their first ever win last year, but that MLA resigned, leaving it vacant. Four candidates are running, from the Country Liberal Party, Labor, the Greens, and an Independent. The Country Liberal Party swept a power in the 2024 Northern Territory election with a strong majority of 17 seats. The Greens scraped through on preferences to claim Nycliffe from Labor. Their member, Cat McNamara, often clashed with the government over crime laws and gas projects before stepping down on February 8th for health. Reasons, reasons, and nine, and also problem-studio. A Country Liberal Party victory here would boost their whole to an 18-seat majority, letting them push their agenda unchecked. Otherwise, the winner joins the small opposition or crossbench with Labor and

1:00Independence. Candidates include a former schoolteacher for Greens, a civil engineering council veteran for Labor, an anti-fracking activist running Independent, and the Territory's first Nepalese Australian lawyer for the Country Liberals. Early voting has been brisk since February 23rd, with more than a third of enrolled voters already casting ballots, 2,200. 96 in total, donations topped $100,000, including gifts from former Labor leaders to their candidate and businesses to the Country Liberals. Issues like crime rates, fuel costs, climate change, and fracking are front and center as politicians woo voters at local markets. With the 2024 results still fresh, expect a tight race that could shape the government's balance of power. This story is made possible by a sponsor, see the episode description.