Northern Territory Labor has won back the progressive seat of Nightcliff in a by-election, winning 52.2% of the primary vote, after preferences.
However, the Greens, which had held the Legislative Assembly seat for the first time, scored the highest number of first preference votes — 33.4% compared to Labor’s 28.9%.
The election was triggered by the shock resignation of Kat McNamara, for health reasons. The Greens vote was also 11% higher than in 2024.
The division of Nightcliff, one of the Territory’s smallest, includes the suburbs of Nightcliff, Rapid Creek and part of Coconut Grove.
Labor’s candidate Ed Smelt, a former civil engineer and Darwin City Councillor, won against the Greens Suki Dorras-Walker by 158 votes.
The Country Liberal Party candidate Anjan Paudel, from the ruling party in the Territory, came in third with 20.3% of primary vote. Independent Phil Scott won 17.4%.
Labor’s campaigned on local issues, including lowering the cost of living, improving local infrastructure, enhancing community safety and promoting renewable energy.
It was a seat NT Labor should never should have lost. It had held Nightcliff for 24 years, 12 of those under Natasha Fyles, including 19 months with her as NT Chief Minister, until she resigned in 2023 over an undisclosed mining shares scandal.
Her replacement Eva Lawler ran a tough-on-crime campaign, but with the rise in motor vehicle thefts and unlawful entries, as well as Labor’s pro-mining stand, Labor lost Nightcliff to the Greens in 2024 with a 25% swing against it.
In an NT News pre-election survey of Nightcliff candidates on February 28, Smelt committed to voting “yes” on voluntary assisted dying, as did the Dorass-Walker and Scott.
Paudel responded he was “undecided” and stumbled badly on policy questions.
Sue Shearer, Council of the Ageing Northern Territory (COTA NT) CEO told Green Left that Territorians will expect the new member for Nightcliff to stick to his word on VAD.
“Ed Smelt has already publicly declared his support for VAD legislation to be passed in the Northern Territory. COTA NT looks forward to this long-awaited legislation finally being passed in June with new MLA Ed Smelt’s support.”
COTA NT is hosting a community event about voluntary assisted dying on April 20, with keynote speaker Peter Warren, Executive Director of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies, who will be in Darwin to support the VAD campaign.
The Country Liberal Party Government is still drafting the legislation and Attorney General Marie-Clare Boothby has said she will be voting in favour, now promising its introduction for debate “mid year” having previously flagged “early 2026”.
[Suzanne James is a voluntary assisted dying advocate.]