‘Speckles’, the Adelaide River crocodile, got it wrong; Labor did not win the election. Instead, Australia is wondering if they have become the first snack in a political feeding frenzy as the Labor vibe wears off.
At a national and local level, Labor has done everything conceivable within the identity politics framework to win the Northern Territory election. Whether it’s rolling out treaties, handing over public land to Indigenous groups, or hosting the Voice referendum, it’s been nothing short of a virtue swamp.
What Labor failed to do is the one thing that citizens asked them to – keep the peace.
Following Labor’s failure, the Country Liberal Party has resurrected itself from political irrelevancy by focusing on public safety following a near total breakdown of civil order. Their campaign decided to speak to the families and businesses who have been exhausted by years of crime.
The desperate situation of Alice Springs, where business owners and residents have been barricaded inside buildings while gangs of teenagers wander the streets armed with axes and sticks, has become a matter of national shame. It’s not for a lack of police on the ground or jail terms being handed out. These social problems run far deeper.
Domestic violence, particularly against women, is at its highest in the territory. Nowhere is a person more at risk from physical violence than in the territory – and that has to change.
Labor’s tug-of-war regarding alcohol restrictions has done an extraordinary amount of damage to vulnerable communities and it seems the party – heavily influenced by the ‘feelings’ of city-dwelling political activists – ran out of answers long before the election.
Following the election, the new Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, will be tasked with the unenviable role of cleaning up Labor’s entrenched mistakes.
This will include, the Country Liberal Party has promised, a major review of bail laws and a reduction in criminal responsibility to age 10 in the hope of handling teenage gangs which have been terrorising families.
Federal Opposition Indigenous Affairs Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price appears to agree with this approach, telling Sky New Australia during the election coverage:
‘We can decrease incarceration by dealing with the problem when they’re children.’
Labor’s approach of essentially ignoring youth crime made it exponentially worse – a problem replicated in Queensland under Labor’s rule.
Ms Finocchiaro said of the victory:
‘We’ve heard loud and clear that Territorians want change, and the works starts [today] to deliver that. I will meet with the police commissioner to make sure we get on top of our law and order and crime issues. I want to thank every single Territorian who believes the territory can be better, and we will deliver a better territory for them.’
The swing against Labor is severe.
With four or five seats, they were punished by voters in every urban area of the territory with parts of Darwin being the biggest rebels against Labor.
Surprisingly, not all these angry voters stepped to the right. A noteworthy chunk went Green, riding environmental promises (or perhaps interested in major compensation for renewable energy projects).
The Northern Territory is also in an appalling amount of debt, roughly $11 billion (with only 233,000 people), but hopes are high that as public safety is restored – tourism may increase. At the moment, terrible images of the Red Centre are keeping visitors away. Promises to raise the tax-free threshold for payroll can’t hurt.
Departing Labor Chief Minister, Eva Lawler, said, ‘It has been an absolute privilege to be your Chief Minister. I am proud of the hard fight that we have fought this campaign.’
