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.
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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.