Northern Territory head to polls in tight race as party leaders Eva Lawler and Lia Finocchiaro argue over crime rates

Voting is taking place across the Northern Territory – from rugged Central Australia to Darwin and the sparsely populated tropics – and a neck-and-neck race is expected between the Labor Party and the Country Liberal Party.

Northern Territory Premier Eva Lawler is seeking to extend Labor’s eight-year reign in the Top End, with 25 seats up for grabs when counting officially begins at 6.30pm on Saturday.

Both the Labor Party and the Country Liberal Party have campaigned on the idea of ​​cracking down on crime, with the persistently high crime rate and the curfew in Alice Springs being central to this.

The week before the election, Ms Lawler said Labor would deliver a “commonsense plan to reduce crime” and improve community safety, including a $570 million boost to the Northern Territory Police.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro told a live debate on SkyNews earlier this week that the CLP’s plan to tackle crime was instead to tighten bail laws and lower the age of criminal responsibility.

The Northern Territory’s struggling economy, high cost of living and stagnant population growth are also seen as areas of concern for the CLP, which aims to demonstrate the need for change after eight years of Labor.

The elections also opened the door for a number of independents, including self-proclaimed laksa queen Amye Un, who claimed that “Labor should go… Only Amye Un can clean up.”

The NT has been in the news in recent years due to its high crime rates. For example, a curfew was imposed after two off-duty police officers were allegedly attacked in July.

The election also comes ahead of a contentious race in Queensland later this year, where Labor will again defend its reputation, and the looming federal election called next year.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler (pictured) wants to extend Labor’s eight-year hold on the NT