[Northern Territory]: 2008 Northern Territory general election

[Owen]

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23 August 2008​

All 25 seats in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly 13 seats needed for a majority​

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Leader:	Clare Martin	Terry Mills
Party:	Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)	Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory
Policies:	Social Democracy Democratic Socialism	Conservatism Economic Liberalism
Leader Since:	16 April 1996	8 February 1999
Leader's Seat:	Fannie Bay	Blain
Last Election (seats):	8 seats	16 seats
Last Election (TPP percentage):	42.9%	57.1%
Seats Won:
Seat Change:
TPP Popular Vote:
TPP Percentage:
TPP Swing:

Pre-Election Pendulum (Country Liberal)​

Seat:	Member:	Party:	Percentage:
Karama	Trevor Sellick	Country Liberal Party	1.4%
Casuarina	Wendy Green	Country Liberal Party	1.6%
Sanderson	Peter Styles	Country Liberal Party	2.1%
Johnston	Ross Connolly	Country Liberal Party	2.2%
Millner	Paul Mossman	Country Liberal Party	3.9%
Nelson	Chris Lugg	Country Liberal Party	4.0% vs. IND
Araluen	Jodeen Carney	Country Liberal Party	7.1%
Port Darwin	Sue Carter	Country Liberal Party	12.4%
MacDonnell	John Elferink	Country Liberal Party	13.6%
Greatorex	Richard Lim	Country Liberal Party	14.1%
Daly	Debbi Aloisi	Country Liberal Party	14.6%
Goyder	Keith Phasey	Country Liberal Party	19.9%
Katherine	Fay Miller	Country Liberal Party	20.4%
Drysdale	Stephen Dunham	Country Liberal Party	20.8%
Blain	Terry Mills	Country Liberal Party	21.8%
Brennan	Denis Burke	Country Liberal Party	24.1%

Pre-Election Pendulum (Labor)​

Seat:	Member:	Party:	Percentage:
Nightcliff	Jane Aagaard	Australian Labor Party	2.0%
Wanguri	Paul Henderson	Australian Labor Party	2.1%
Arafura	Marion Scrymgour	Australian Labor Party	3.8%
Fannie Bay	Clare Martin	Australian Labor Party	4.7%
Arnhem	Malarndirri McCarthy	Australian Labor Party	6.3%
Barkly	Elliot McAdam	Australian Labor Party	8.3%
Nhulunbuy	Syd Stirling	Australian Labor Party	11.1%
Stuart	Peter Toyne	Australian Labor Party	12.7%

Pre-Election Pendulum (Independent)​

Seat:	Member:	Party:	Percentage:
Braitling	Loraine Braham	Independent	0.4% vs. CLP

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[Owen]

The campaign unfolds as a relatively long but competitive contest shaped by long-term leadership and a strong focus on crime and local issues. The opposition Australian Labor Party, led by Clare Martin, enters the campaign after more than eight years in opposition. Clare Martin is seeking her second electoral mandate as Chief Minister after being the Chief Minister from 1996 to 2000. She has stated if she doesn't win this election she will resign the leadership and retire from Parliament altogether.

The governing Country Liberal Party (CLP), led by Terry Mills, uses the campaign to continue the momentum after their large performances at the 2000 and 2004 elections. Central to its strategy is a strong emphasis on law and order, arguing that crime, particularly property crime and antisocial behaviour, will be worse under Labor. This message resonates with many voters and becomes the dominant issue of the campaign, forcing Labor to defend its record and highlight its policing and community safety initiatives.

While broader national issues play a role, these do not sharply divide the major parties, limiting their impact as campaign battlegrounds. Instead, the campaign focuses heavily on local concerns such as housing, infrastructure, cost of living, and services in remote and Indigenous communities. Both parties tailor their messaging to specific electorates, reflecting the Territory’s diverse and regionally distinct population.

Overall, the campaign becomes a contest between Labor’s emphasis on leadership stability and their current leader's prior experience as Chief Minister and the CLP’s tough on crime stance. Although polls are suggesting Labor is sneaking ahead for much of the campaign, the CLP gains momentum, especially on law and order, making the race more competitive than expected.

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