CLP 14.0%
Incumbent MP
Peter Chandler, since 2008.
Geography
Palmerston. Drysdale covers eastern parts of the city of Palmerston, to the east of Darwin. Brennan covers the suburbs of Palmrston, Gunn, Bakewell and parts of Rosebery and Farrar.
Redistribution
Brennan contracted slightly in the redistribution, losing part of Farrer to Drysdale, losing part of Rosebery to Blain, and losing the easternmost part of the seat to Spillett.
History
The electorate of Brennan has existed since 1990. In that time, the Country Liberal Party has won the seat at all but one election.
The CLP’s Max Ortmann won Brennan in 1990. He held the seat for one term, and lost preselection in 1994.
Ortmann ran for Brennan as an independent in 1994 but lost to CLP candidate Denis Burke.
Denis Burke held Brennan from 1994 until 2005. Burke became chief minister in 1999, leading the Country Liberal Party until they were defeated in 2001 – ending twenty-seven years of power in the NT.
Burke continued to lead the CLP in opposition until 2003. He was succeeded by Terry Mills, but returned to the leadership in the lead-up to the 2005 election.
In 2005, Burke’s CLP suffered devastating losses, including his own seat of Brennan, which fell to Labor’s James Burke.
James Burke held Brennan for one term, losing in 2008 to the CLP’s Peter Chandler. Chandler was re-elected in 2012, and has served as a minister since that election. He served as deputy chief minister from 2014 to 2015.
Candidates
- Dorothy Fox (1 Territory)
- Tony Sievers (Labor)
- Peter Chandler (Country Liberal)
Assessment
In normal circumstances, the CLP should have no trouble retaining Brennan. While there are a number of other safer CLP seats, those seats have traditionally been less loyal to the CLP than Brennan. Despite these factors, Brennan could be vulnerable if there is a landslide Labor victory.
2012 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Peter Chandler | Country Liberal | 2,683 | 64.3 | +11.6 | 64.2 |
| Russell Jeffrey | Labor | 1,493 | 35.8 | -11.6 | 35.8 |
| Informal | 93 | 2.2 |
Booth breakdown
There are three booths in Brennan: Bakewell, Farrar and Rosebery. A majority of votes in Brennan were cast at Bakewell.
The CLP’s vote ranged from 62% in Farrar to 65.6% in Rosebery, with 68.8% of the pre-poll vote.
| Voter group | CLP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| Bakewell | 62.8 | 2,122 | 58.9 |
| Farrar | 62.0 | 234 | 6.5 |
| Rosebery | 65.6 | 215 | 6.0 |
| Pre-poll | 68.8 | 413 | 11.5 |
| Other votes | 66.5 | 620 | 17.2 |
Labor won every single booth in Palmerston with swings of at least 10% federally last month. Bakewell and Rosebery swung 18% and 17.4% respectively… they must be some of the biggest swings anywhere in the country. Repeat that, and Brennan will be the safest CLP seat won by Labor.