Federal election battle for NT seat of Lingiari set to be fought on a knife's edge

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The outback Northern Territory seat of Lingiari will be fought on a knife’s edge at the upcoming federal election. The seat, which includes the townships of Alice Springs and Katherine, had the lowest voter turnout in the country at the last election. Disillusioned voters living in remote communities hope more will be done to improve outcomes.

Transcript

00:00As new houses are built in the Aboriginal community of Amungana near Alice Springs,

00:13community leader Kumali Riley senses a missed opportunity.

00:20We can have a bunch of builders, we can have plumbers, we can, we can do a lot of that

00:27if it's, the community's got to have control over that.

00:31Decision making is, you know, it belongs to the community.

00:37In a region weighed down by poverty, the lack of opportunity is front of mind for many.

00:44It's terrible. There's no services sometimes. There's no, there's a breakdown of all communities.

00:53In Lingiari, one in three enrolled voters did not cast a ballot at the last federal election,

00:59making it the lowest voter turnout in the nation.

01:02Many in the bush are questioning whether their vote will make a difference

01:06after seeing successive governments fail to turn the dial on generational disadvantage.

01:12We've got too much of all this alcohol, drugs and, and all this is, uh, have a devastating, you know, impact on our people.

01:22And domestic violence and stuff like that.

01:25Held by Labor for over 20 years, Lingiari takes in the top end to the outback

01:33and covers all of the Northern Territory's remote Aboriginal communities.

01:38It's a vast electorate covering 1.3 million square kilometres or 99% of the Northern Territory.

01:46Alice Springs in the centre and Catherine in the north are its two main centres.

01:52The region has had its fair share of crime headlines over the years

01:57and attracted a flurry of politicians to the Red Centre with promises of change.

02:02And delivered in community by community.

02:05And it will lead to a safer environment here in Alice Springs.

02:09A drop in tourists since the COVID pandemic has many small businesses in Alice Springs hanging on.

02:16Many of us are on our knees. It's critical for many business owners at the moment.

02:22Uh, in terms of if this year doesn't shape up, you'll probably see some more closed doors come next summer.

02:28On the streets of Alice Springs, there's a push for elected leaders to do more.

02:33It's time to get beyond crime as the one sole issue in Alice Springs

02:37and it's time to invest in the town again.

02:39Not everyone else in the town, the locals are sick and tired of them doing nothing.

02:42I think the government's not really listening to what Alice Springs people want.

02:56Labor's Marion Scrimgeour is re-contesting the seat she narrowly won in 2022.

03:02The former NT Deputy Chief Minister and Land Council Head

03:06acknowledges systemic change is hard fought.

03:09There is something seriously wrong when we scratch our heads and we all say,

03:15well, young people don't want to work, when the system doesn't allow that to happen.

03:20And we need to change that.

03:22The general age group here.

03:25Her main opponent is former Federal Police Officer Lisa Siebert,

03:29who's running for the country Liberal Party on a platform of change.

03:33If we have an idea, we need to show results and we need to show that there are practical solutions

03:38and outcomes that are delivered in the policies that we have.

03:41And if we don't, if we can't execute on those, then we've actually failed in our commitment.

03:47In the bush, where the greatest need exists, leaders are tired of false hope and broken promises.

03:59They forget all that, their sweet promises, and then we're back on square one.

04:04Nothing's, nothing's changing.

04:07A huge electorate with equally huge social challenges for whichever party wins.

04:13End of time.

04:14No, no, no, no, no.

04:15If you're on the table, that's just what's happening.

04:16Tomorrow hasn't been released.

04:17There are cards for each other.

04:18And there are cards for each other, and the clearly 나� engerman.

04:20And there are cards for each other.

04:21But if you're super strict with them in the same place.

04:22To remember, they'll make the right cards and the right cards will take on the table,

04:27and they'll give them as they're being replaced as they've covered.

04:28Then we can call a card card character and the right cards will take the right cards and the right cards.

04:33Their cards will usually work ahead and take the right cards,

04:36and then we will take the right cards of the line as it goes.

04:38And if we don't like any other cards.

04:39You can have a card card card card card card card card card card,

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