Lia Finocchiaro formally sworn in as the 14th NT Chief Minister

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Northern Territory's Administrator has formally sworn in Lia Finocchiaro as the 14th Chief Minister following the Country Liberal Party's landslide victory at the weekend.

Transcript

00:00The Territory's new leader claiming the fruits of the weekend's landslide victory.

00:07Certainly a new chapter will unfold for Territorians.

00:11Leah Finocchiaro is now 50% of an interim cabinet, with portfolios including police,

00:17Territory families, health and treasury.

00:20Her deputy, Gerard Maley's new credentials are interim Attorney-General

00:24and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, among others.

00:27Marching in lockstep for their first appearance as incumbents.

00:31This is to give confidence to the Northern Territory to continue with the business of government

00:36until early next week.

00:38But the final result is still not clear here in Fanny Bay,

00:41where Laurie Zio is hoping to stave off a challenge from the Greens

00:44to claim a 17th seat for the CLP.

00:47And in Knightcliffe, where former Chief Minister Natasha Files

00:50looks set to hold on to her seat for Labor.

00:52The Anti-Electoral Commission says the official declaration won't take place

00:56until the 9th of September, but the new Chief's not waiting to get to work.

01:00We have been very clear for a number of years that reducing the age of criminal responsibility

01:04to 10 was a big part of our plan and we will deliver on that

01:08in week one of Parliament as we committed and as Territorians voted us to do.

01:13The NT's top Aboriginal legal agency is warning lowering the age

01:17will have disastrous consequences and wants a parliamentary inquiry

01:20into the impacts of the ousted Labor government's action last year

01:24to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12,

01:27echoed by the new Chief's incoming independent parliamentary colleague.

01:31We need to know what the impact of that was.

01:33We need to look at the data and the evidence.

01:35The government will decide who is best placed to navigate these challenges

01:39when it finalises the full Cabinet.

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