Northern Territory Candidates make their final pitch before election day

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Northern Territory election is in its final day of campaigning before voters cast their ballots tomorrow. Both leaders have made their final pitches across the top end.

Transcript

00:00We've seen both leaders really give their final pitch, as you noted, straight off the

00:05top to voters, saying that they're the safe pair of hands.

00:08Eva Lawler trying to make the case that since she's taken over as Chief Minister, she's

00:13riven above ideology of any political persuasion and really focused to get outcomes for the

00:18Northern Territory, been able to secure a myriad of federal deals with the Territory

00:22around education and housing as well.

00:25But she's also remarked on the timbre and tone of the campaign, saying it's one way

00:29she feels like, by and large, it has been a coherent one and one where both political

00:34parties, though offering differing views of what they want for the Northern Territory's

00:38future, have been able to get along.

00:40This has been actually probably a textbook election campaign and, you know, that's what

00:46you get with two women that are leading.

00:49You get hard work and just getting on and doing the business.

00:52So I will give Leah praise for that because I think it's been actually a really tidy and

00:56a good campaign.

00:57That's Chief Minister Eva Lawler there explaining how she's seen the campaign.

01:01Of course, her opponent, Opposition Leader Leah Finocchiaro, it's her second election

01:05having a crack to become Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

01:07She has made the case that the long period of time in which Labor has been in power over

01:1119 of the last two decades, 19 years rather, of the last two decades, has meant that now

01:17is the time for change.

01:18Here's what she had to say this morning.

01:21Our pitch has really been about choose change.

01:23It's about moving forward as a jurisdiction.

01:26We really need to reduce crime, rebuild our economy and restore our lifestyle.

01:30Labor have had three Chief Ministers in three years.

01:34They've been in power 19 of the last 23 years.

01:37So it's certainly our message to Territorians that it's time for change and we can't afford

01:42another four years of Labor.

01:43But we know this is going to be a really close contest.

01:46And Miles, what's the mood among voters ahead of the election?

01:49Well, it's certainly shaping up to be a tight election.

01:53The bookies have the country Liberal opposition as favourites to get to that magic number

01:57of 13 seats required to form government.

01:59They currently sit on seven seats, so they will need to make pick-ups right across the

02:03Northern Territory.

02:04Labor, meantime, confident they might just be able to hold on for a third term.

02:09They do have the advantage of already sitting on 14 seats.

02:12They could lose one tomorrow and still retain power.

02:15Part of their strategy may well be to pick up seats in the bush, including Namatjira,

02:20which covers the outskirts of Alice Springs and a great deal of the bush.

02:23As well as the Barclay, which is the largest seat in the Northern Territory and covers

02:28Tennant Creek, as well as the Roper region, right out to the east of the Northern Territory.

02:32All in all, the dominant issue has been law and order and reducing crime.

02:36Both parties offering up their visions.

02:38Labor with more funding for police, while the CLP promising to lower the age of criminal

02:43responsibility.

02:44Delivering on what, as both parties have described, has been an incredibly complex task, which

02:49is addressing and tackling crime and its root causes.

02:52All of that shall be revealed tomorrow as who will get the chance to take on that issue,

02:57among others.

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