Territory Labor's Ed Smelt wins Nightcliff by-election, taking the Greens' only NT seat
Ed Smelt (second from left) has won the Nightcliff by-election. (ABC News: Jack Hislop)
In short:
Ed Smelt has won the Nightcliff by-election for Labor.
Despite winning the primary vote with a 33 per cent share, the Greens lost the seat on preferences.
What's next?
The Northern Territory Electoral Commission will declare the result on March 23.
Labor's Ed Smelt has won the Nightcliff by-election, with a check count of votes removing any shred of doubt he has claimed the seat.
A check count conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission [NTEC] on Monday slightly increased Mr Smelt's lead to 158 votes over the Greens' Suki Dorras-Walker.
See the latest results on the ABC Election page.
Saturday's by-election was triggered by the resignation of Greens MLA Kat McNamara, who quit for health reasons in February.
At the 2024 general election, McNamara became the first Greens member to win a seat in Northern Territory parliament, beating former Labor chief minister Natasha Fyles by just 36 votes.
Ms Dorras-Walker's 33 per cent share of the primary vote on Saturday was not enough for the Greens to hold the seat, with the preference flow favouring Mr Smelt.
Suki Dorras-Walker won the primary vote. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
Labor copped a four per cent swing against it on the primary count, recording a 29 per cent share.
However, Mr Smelt picked up 79 per cent of the CLP's preferences and 41 per cent of Independent Phil Scott's preferences to win.
The NTEC will declare the result on March 23.
Smelt 'deeply honoured'
Mr Smelt is a former civil engineer and City of Darwin councillor, who ran a hyper-local campaign on issues including repairing the Nightcliff jetty and establishing a community battery.
He also campaigned on improved health services and stronger environmental protections.
The incoming member for Nightcliff said he was "deeply honoured" to be elected.
"The result sends a clear message. The people of Nightcliff have rejected the divisive approach taken by the CLP government and chosen a strong voice with a track record of delivery for our community," Mr Smelt said.
"This was a closely fought election and I want to thank all the candidates who put themselves forward and gave the community a choice."
Ed Smelt, pictured here with wife Susannah, will become Labor's only Darwin-based MLA. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
Mr Smelt said the territory was diverse and everyone in the Nightcliff electorate deserved to be heard by the government.
He also acknowledged the work of outgoing member McNamara.
"[McNamara] made history in the Territory and served this community with dedication," Mr Smelt said.
Territory Labor president and former chief minister Clare Martin said the party was proud to have won back Nightcliff.
"Following the 2024 election, Territory Labor has taken the time to listen to Territorians and reflect on what communities expect from us," she said.
"This result vindicates the work we have been doing to reconnect with voters and demonstrate that we are listening."
Clare Martin says Territory Labor has changed since it lost government in 2024.
Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said she was delighted Mr Smelt would be joining the Labor caucus.
"Ed ran a strong campaign focused on local issues and will be an outstanding representative for the Nightcliff community," she said.
Dorras-Walker says Greens a 'serious contender'
The Greens' 33 per cent primary vote was 11 per cent higher than when McNamara won the seat in 2024.
Ms Dorras-Walker said it proved the Greens were "a serious contender in NT politics".
"We are on the rise. While both Labor and the CLP had swings against them, we had a massive swing towards us and won the primary vote," she said.
"One in three people in Nightcliff voted Greens.
"I am so proud of the powerful and vibrant campaign we ran. We have given so many people in our community hope and we're just going to keep building from here."
She said pressure from the Greens had made Labor change its positions on environmental issues.
"Our pressure made Labor change its position on Lee Point and cast doubt on their support for [the] Middle Arm [industrial precinct] and gas exports from fracking," she said.
"We look forward to seeing Ed Smelt advocate to the federal Labor government to stop the bulldozers at Lee Point."
In a statement, a CLP government spokesperson said Nightcliff was "always going to be a difficult seat to win from government given Labor had held the seat for a quarter of a century".
"This seat was not ours to lose, and the CLP gave it a red-hot crack," the spokesperson said.
"Labor suffered a larger swing against them than the CLP government, and the result shows there are many voters in Nightcliff and Rapid Creek who want the government to continue prioritising community safety and reducing crime."