Daly – NT 2016

CLP 5.2%

Incumbent MP
Gary Higgins, since 2012.

Geography
North-western parts of the Northern Territory. Daly covers rural areas south of Darwin, stretching to the edge of Katherine, and covering Berry Springs, Wadeye, Batchelor, Adelaide River and Pine Creek.

Redistribution
Daly shifted south, gaining areas to the northwest of Katherine off the seat of Stuart, and losing areas to the east of Darwin to Goyder. Daly previously surrounded the Darwin metropolitan area, reaching the north coast, but those areas are now in Goyder. These changes increased the CLP margin from 4.7% to 5.2%.

History
The electorate of Daly was created in 2001 as a new version of the seat of Victoria River. The seat had moved north and the name was no longer appropriate. The seat of Victoria River/Daly has been a marginal seat for its entire existence, switching back and forth between Labor and the CLP over the last 42 years.

Victoria River was created for the first NT assembly election in 1974 and was won by the CLP’s Goff Letts. Letts served as Majority Leader in the first assembly from 1974 to 1977. Letts lost Victoria River in 1977, while the CLP won a comfortable majority in the Assembly.

Labor’s Jack Doolan won Victoria River in 1977, and held the seat until 1983, when he contested the seat as an independent Labor candidate.

The CLP’s Terry McCarthy won Victoria River in 1983. He held the seat until 1990, when he moved to the new seat of Goyder, which he held until 2001.

Labor’s Gary Cartwright held Victoria River from 1990 until 1994, when he was replaced by the CLP’s Tim Baldwin. Baldwin held Victoria River until 2001 when it was renamed Daly. He held Daly for one term, until he retired in 2005.

Labor’s Rob Knight won Daly in 2005. He held the seat for two terms, losing in 2012 to the CLP’s Gary Higgins.

Candidates

• Allan McKay (Independent)
• Anthony Venes (Labor)
• Joan Growden (1 Territory)
• Ian Barry (Citizens Electoral Council)
• Regina McCarthy (Independent)
• Thong Sum Lee (Independent)
• Gary Higgins (Country Liberal)
• Kevin Wanganeen (Independent)

Assessment
Daly is a marginal CLP seat, although Higgins should benefit from some personal vote.

2012 result

2012 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown
There are four booths contained in the current boundaries of Daly. One booth, Pine Creek, was transferred into Daly from Stuart in the recent redistribution.

The Country Liberal Party won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in four out of five booths, ranging from 56% in Berry Springs to 71% in Pine Creek. Labor won 56.4% in Batchelor.

The CLP also won 54% of the two-party-preferred vote at the remote mobile booths, which make up almost one quarter of votes.