2012 Northern Territory general election
Introduction A general election was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 25 August 2012, which elected all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. The 11-year Labor Party government led by Chief Minister Paul Henderson was decisively defeated in their attempt to win a fourth term against the opposition Country Liberal Party led by opposition leader Terry Mills with a swing of four seats, losing the normally safe Labor remote seats of Arafura, Arnhem, Daly and Stuart, whilst retaining their urban seats picked up at the 2001 election.
Results  ↓ '''16''' '''1''' '''8''' '''CLP''' '''Ind''' '''ALP'''Independents: Gerry WoodTwo safe Labor seats were uncontested at the previous election and therefore did not contribute to votes and results, all seats were contested at this election with the two previously uncontested Labor seats both won by the CLP.===Seats changing hands===Members in italics did not re-contest their Legislative Assembly seats at this election. Seat Pre-2012 Swing Post-2012 Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Arafura Labor ''Marion Scrymgour'' 14.0 15.0 1.0 Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu Country Liberal Arnhem Labor Malarndirri McCarthy ''Unopp'' ''N/A'' 5.3 Larisa Lee Country Liberal Daly Labor Rob Knight 5.8 10.5 4.7 Gary Higgins Country Liberal Namatjira Labor Alison Anderson ''Unopp'' ''N/A'' 18.6 Alison Anderson Country Liberal Stuart Labor Karl Hampton 15.1 18.6 3.5 Bess Price Country Liberal
Background Historically, remote areas had voted Labor while the urban areas had voted CLP. The CLP had governed since the initial 1974 election until Labor led by Clare Martin surprisingly came to power with a one-seat majority government at the 2001 election, mainly by sweeping Darwin's more diverse northern suburbs. Labor won in a landslide at the 2005 election, winning the second-largest majority in the Territory's history and reducing the CLP to only four seats. Although Labor led by Henderson retained a one-seat majority government at the 2008 election on 13 Labor, 11 CLP, 1 independent with only 49.3 percent of the two-party preferred vote, Labor had won two seats uncontested by the CLP—all seats were contested again at the 2012 election. Labor, the CLP, the Northern Territory Greens, the First Nations Political Party and the Australian Sex Party were running endorsed candidates.A minority government was led by Henderson from mid-2009 when Alison Anderson resigned from the Labor Party to sit as an independent member of parliament. Anderson along with the existing independent Gerry Wood signed a letter to the speaker of parliament to push sittings forward, prompting CLP leader Mills to table a motion of no confidence on Monday 10 August 2009.Wood ended up voting with the government, defeating the motion of no confidence. Anderson joined the CLP in September 2011, resulting in 12 Labor, 12 CLP, 1 independent. Wood and Anderson retained their seats at the 2012 election.In October 2010, former CLP leader Jodeen Carney resigned in her seat, an Araluen by-election was held, the CLP retained the seat but suffered a 6.6-point two-party preferred swing.
Method Like the Australian House of Representatives, members were elected through full-preference instant-runoff voting in single-member electorates. The election was conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, an independent body answerable to Parliament.In a change to polling in remote electorates, where most voting was previously conducted by mobile polling teams, for the first time there was full election day voting in major regional indigenous centres. As such, swings may be distorted. The conducting of a formal polling place could also alter the way voting takes places and increase the local turnout. Mobile polling teams were still used but they took many fewer votes than in the past. In addition, for the first time in the territory, there was an electronic feed of results, the last administration in Australia to go electronic.
Date The Henderson Labor government introduced fixed four-year terms following the previous election.The Legislative Assembly was dissolved on 6 August 2012.The electoral roll was closed on 8 August and nominations on 10 August, prior to polling day on 25 August.The election was held on the same day as the Heffron state by-election in New South Wales.
Retiring MPs === Labor ===* Jane Aagaard (Nightcliff)* Chris Burns (Johnston)* Marion Scrymgour (Arafura)
Candidates Sitting members are listed in bold. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Electorate Held by Labor candidate CLP candidate Greens candidate Other candidates     Arafura  Labor  Dean Rioli Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu  George Pascoe  Jeannie Gadambua (FNPP)Araluen  CLP  Adam Findlay '''Robyn Lambley'''   Edan Baxter (FNPP)Arnhem  Labor  '''Malarndirri McCarthy''' Larisa Lee   Barkly  Labor '''Gerry McCarthy'''  Rebecca Healy   Valda Shannon (FNPP)Stewart Willey (Ind)Blain  CLP  Geoff Bahnert '''Terry Mills'''   Daniel Fejo (FNPP)Braitling  CLP  Deborah Rock '''Adam Giles'''  Barbara Shaw  Colin Furphy (Ind)Brennan  CLP  Russell Jeffrey '''Peter Chandler'''   Casuarina  Labor '''Kon Vatskalis'''  Jane Johnson  Daly  Labor  '''Rob Knight''' Gary Higgins  David Pollock  Trevor Jenkins (-)Bill Risk (FNPP)Drysdale  CLP  James Burke Lia Finocchiaro   '''Ross Bohlin''' (Ind)Fannie Bay  Labor '''Michael Gunner'''  Tony Clementson  Ken Bird  Fong Lim  CLP  Ashley Marsh '''Dave Tollner'''  Matt Haubrick  Peter Burnheim (ASP)Goyder  CLP  Damien Smith '''Kezia Purick'''   John Kearney (-)Greatorex  CLP  Rowan Foley '''Matt Conlan'''  Evelyne Roullet  Phil Walcott (Ind)Johnston  Labor Ken Vowles  Jo Sangster  Alana Parrott-Jolly  Peter Bussa (-)Krystal Metcalf (ASP)Karama  Labor '''Delia Lawrie'''  Rohan Kelly  Frances Elcoate  Katherine  CLP  Cerise King '''Willem Westra van Holthe'''   Teresa Cummings (Ind)Namatjira  Labor  Des Rogers '''Alison Anderson'''   Warren H Williams (FNPP)Nelson  Independent  Sharon McAlear  Judy Cole  '''Gerry Wood''' (Ind)Nhulunbuy  Labor '''Lynne Walker'''  Allen Fanning   Kendall Trudgen (Ind)Nightcliff  Labor Natasha Fyles  Kim Loveday  Owen Gale  Andrew Arthur (Ind)Stuart Blanch (Ind)Peter Rudge (Ind)Felicity Wardle (ASP)Port Darwin  CLP  Alan James '''John Elferink'''  David Andrews  Rowena Leunig (ASP)Sanderson  CLP  Jodie Green '''Peter Styles'''   Jillian Briggs (ASP)Dimitrious Magriplis (FNPP)Stuart  Labor  '''Karl Hampton''' Bess Price   Maurie Japarta Ryan (FNPP)Wanguri  Labor '''Paul Henderson'''  Rhianna Harker   === Unregistered parties and groups ===* Two previous One Nation candidates ran, One Nation Northern Territory Branch President John Kearney in Goyder and Peter Bussa from NSW in Johnston.
Electoral pendulum The following pendulum is known as the Mackerras pendulum, invented by psephologist Malcolm Mackerras. The pendulum works by lining up all of the seats held in the Legislative Assembly according to the percentage point margin they are held by on a two-party-preferred basis. This is also known as the swing required for the seat to change hands. Given a uniform swing to the opposition or government parties, the number of seats that change hands can be predicted. Results are notional calculations of the redistribution.=== Pre-election pendulum ===Members listed in italics did not re-contest their seat at the election. '''Labor seats''''''Marginal'''Fannie BayMichael GunnerALP0.9DalyRobert KnightALP5.8'''Fairly safe'''Johnston''Chris Burns''ALP6.9'''Safe'''Nightcliff''Jane Aagaard''ALP10.7KaramaDelia LawrieALP10.8Arafura''Marion Scrymgour''ALP14.0CasuarinaKon VatskalisALP14.3WanguriPaul HendersonALP14.7StuartKarl HamptonALP15.0BarklyGerry McCarthyALP15.6'''Very safe'''NhulunbuyLynne WalkerALP24.2ArnhemMalarndirri McCarthyALPUnoppNamatjiraAlison AndersonALPUnopp'''Independent seats'''NelsonGerry WoodIND28.7 v CLP	'''Country Liberal seats''''''Marginal'''BrennanPeter ChandlerCLP2.7Port DarwinJohn ElferinkCLP2.9Fong LimDave TollnerCLP4.3SandersonPeter StylesCLP5.2'''Fairly safe'''GoyderKezia PurickCLP8.4KatherineWillem W-v-HoltheCLP8.4DrysdaleRoss BohlinCLP9.3'''Safe'''BlainTerry MillsCLP10.6GreatorexMatt ConlanCLP16.5'''Very safe'''BraitlingAdam GilesCLP20.3 v GRNAraluenRobyn LambleyCLP24.7=== Post-election pendulum ==='''Country Liberal seats''''''Marginal'''ArafuraFrancis Maralampuwi XavierCLP1.0SandersonPeter StylesCLP3.1StuartBess PriceCLP3.5DalyGary HigginsCLP4.7ArnhemLarisa LeeCLP5.3'''Fairly safe'''Fong LimDave TollnerCLP7.3Port DarwinJohn ElferinkCLP9.6'''Safe'''BlainTerry MillsCLP13.2BrennanPeter ChandlerCLP14.2GreatorexMatt ConlanCLP14.8DrysdaleLia FinocchiaroCLP15.3GoyderKezia PurickCLP16.7NamatjiraAlison AndersonCLP18.6'''Very safe'''AraluenRobyn LambleyCLP22.2KatherineWillem Westra Van HoltheCLP22.3BraitlingAdam GilesCLP23.6 '''Labor seats''''''Marginal'''JohnstonKen VowlesALP5.7'''Fairly safe'''KaramaDelia LawrieALP6.4Fannie BayMichael GunnerALP6.8WanguriPaul HendersonALP7.0BarklyGerry McCarthyALP7.6NightcliffNatasha FylesALP9.2CasuarinaKon VatskalisALP9.3'''Safe'''NhulunbuyLynne WalkerALP19.0'''Independent seats'''NelsonGerry WoodIND9.2 v CLP
Newspaper endorsements  Newspaper Endorsement ''The Australian''  ''NT News''
References
External links *  Northern Territory Electoral Commission