NT electorates Solomon and Lingiari key seats to watch this electionBy Annabel BowlesBy Sam ParryTopic:Australian Federal Elections1h ago1 hours agoFri 2 May 2025 at 5:08amMore than 40 per cent of enrolled Northern Territory voters have already cast their ballot. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)abc.net.au/news/nt-electorates-lingiari-solomon-key-seats-to-watch/105240534Link copiedShareShare articleThe Northern Territory has just two lower house seats — and both have been held by Labor for years.Labor has won Solomon, which takes in the urban Top End, at the past three elections, and the party has retained the vast outback seat of Lingiari since its inception.Election essentials:Federal election live updates: Get the latest as the campaign winds upKey election promises from Labor and the CoalitionFind out where your nearest voting centre is and how to fill out the ballot paperBut after the Country Liberal Party's (CLP) landslide victory at the NT election last year, the two electorates are in play tomorrow and they are key to the Coalition's chances of gaining government.A campaign centred on crime and the economy saw the CLP more than double its numbers at the August election, gaining a 17-member majority and whittling Territory Labor down to just four seats.But are the same issues on NT voters' minds as they cast their ballots for federal representatives?Loading...An analysis of Your Say contributions and sentiments shared by voters across the territory suggests housing, cost of living, roads and health are up there with crime and community safety as the issues they see as the most important.Read more about the federal election:Where the election will be won or lost for Labor or the CoalitionAdd up voters, candidates and pencils in the 2025 federal election numbers quizSee how your views align with the major parties with Vote CompassWant even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverageCatch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC ListenNational security has also featured in the campaign, with both major parties promising to strip Chinese-owned Landbridge of its 99-year Darwin Port lease.More than 40 per cent of the Northern Territory's 150,000-odd voters have already cast their ballot at pre-polling and remote voting centres.SolomonIn Australia’s far north, Dutton has his eye on a political prizePhoto shows An aerial view of the city of Darwin at sunset.The NT seat of Solomon’s been relatively safe Labor for nearly a decade. But social, economic and political factors could see it in play this election.In January, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton proclaimed that a path to Coalition victory could be paved through winning Solomon — a traditionally swinging electorate where the cost of living and housing challenges have been felt acutely.Last year's NT election also left Labor holding no parliamentary seats within the boundaries of Solomon — a sign it is battling to keep the federal electorate this Saturday despite holding it on a "safe" 8.4 per cent margin.However, incumbent MP Luke Gosling, a defence force veteran who has held the seat for nine years, has been bullish about his prospects of re-election.Luke Gosling says the Labor government has invested "billions of dollars" in the Northern Territory. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)"We're putting billions of dollars into health, into bulk-billing in particular … our cost-of-living support from tax cuts to energy bill relief are really making a difference," he said.He is up against the CLP's Lisa Bayliss, a former police officer and daughter of a former CLP minister, who has promised to work with the NT government on battling crime.Lisa Bayliss says the federal government can do more to reduce crime in the Northern Territory. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)"In the last eight years we've had crime just get out of control," she said."We say crime is an NT government issue [but] it's actually also something hand-in-hand [with the federal government]."The NT's first Climate 200-backed independent, Phil Scott, also stands to gain ground as voters increasingly shift away from the major parties.LingiariThe electorate of Lingiari takes in almost all of the territory, including 73 remote Aboriginal communities and the regional towns of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine.It is here where voter apathy is most prevalent. One in three enrolled voters did not cast a ballot in the 2022 election.Election battleground in federal seat with the nation's least engaged votersPhoto shows An Aboriginal woman, wearing a patterned head scarf, navy blue top sitting in a bushland area.The Coalition will be hoping to win the seat of Lingiari for the first time this federal election.Currently held by Labor's Marion Scrymgour on a slim margin of 1.7 per cent, the seat is also firmly in the Coalition's sights.Ms Scrymgour, a former NT deputy chief minister and Northern Land Council head, helped push a $250 million federal package for Alice Springs in early 2023 at a time when the outback town's crime woes were making national headlines.Marion Scrymgour won Lingiari by about 800 votes at the last election. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)"Over the last three years, as a federal representative, I have worked hard to reset the ledger and to make sure that the federal government was listening," she said.The CLP's Lingiari candidate is Lisa Siebert, another former police officer, while former NT Australian of the Year Blair McFarland is running for the Greens.Lisa Siebert, who grew up in the remote NT, is also running for the federal seat of Lingiari. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)Ms Siebert, who has often appeared alongside CLP senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price during the campaign, has also promised to deliver practical outcomes to remote and regional voters."We need to show results and we need to show that there are practical solutions and outcomes that are delivered in the policies that we have," she said.LoadingLoading...Having trouble seeing this form? Try this link.Posted 1h ago1 hours agoFri 2 May 2025 at 5:08amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter) News in LanguageListen to the news in Warlpiri, Yolngu Matha and KriolListenTop StoriesLittle-known entity comparing Dutton to Trump spends more than $400,000 on political Meta adsTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A man in front of a billboard which says "the parties are the problem"Vote Compass data reveals key issues for respondents ahead of electionTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A graphic shows a smartphone screen showing a graph.'It's just a disaster': Motorists describe chaos on M1 after scrap metal spillTopic:Road Accidents and IncidentsPhoto shows A metal shard embedded in a tyreDutton has 'no doubt' Coalition can win this election, as campaigning nears endLIVEPhoto shows Peter Dutton speaks at lectern Erin Patterson sent 'extremely aggressive' texts to estranged husband, court hearsTopic:CourtsPhoto shows A close up photo of Erin Patterson looking over her shoulder wearing glases.Related storiesFive seats that could change the course of the electionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Kristy AllesonGreens and first NT teal candidate fight to shake up major party voteTopic:Minor PartiesPhoto shows A woman in a crowd of Greens party supporters holding a sign that reads 'vote 1 the Greens'Chinese community urges rethink on Labor, Coalition's Darwin Port plansTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A woman sitting in a chair, clasping her hands on her lap and smiling. inside a lounge room.Related topicsAlice SpringsAustralian Federal ElectionsDarwinNTRural and Remote CommunitiesTop StoriesLittle-known entity comparing Dutton to Trump spends more than $400,000 on political Meta adsTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A man in front of a billboard which says "the parties are the problem"Vote Compass data reveals key issues for respondents ahead of electionTopic:Australian Federal Elections'It's just a disaster': Motorists describe chaos on M1 after scrap metal spillTopic:Road Accidents and IncidentsDutton has 'no doubt' Coalition can win this election, as campaigning nears endTopic:Government and PoliticsErin Patterson sent 'extremely aggressive' texts to estranged husband, court hearsTopic:CourtsJust InCosts and cancellations adding up for fed-up flyers in regional SATopic:Air Transport Industry7m ago7 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:20amSnowtown killer's parole bid 'slap in the face', says nephew of victimTopic:Homicide23m ago23 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:04amOne Nation staffer reported to corruption watchdog over referrals to law firmTopic:Federal Government34m ago34 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 5:53amHeritage-listed prison building set to become independent schoolTopic:Secondary Education7m ago7 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:20amMore Just InBack to top