NT on track to lose one lower house seat at next election
The Northern Territory looks set to lose one of its two seats in the Federal Parliament's lower house at the next election unless a push to reform electorate laws succeeds.
New data shows the NT's population fell by 0.4 per cent between 2018 and 2019, which is expected to leave it short of the mark needed to retain two seats for the first time since 2001. Western Australia also appears likely to lose a seat while Victoria is on track to gain one, election analysts say.
Labor holds both NT lower house seats, with Luke Gosling representing Solomon.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The Australian Electoral Commission reviews the distribution of electorates across states and territories after each election based on the latest population data. It is due to announce seat changes early next month.
Labor is pushing for changes to the law that would guarantee two lower house seats for the NT, which would stop it becoming the most under-represented area in the country with one member of Parliament for roughly 250,000 people.
"Losing a seat would mean a single MP serving an electorate covering 1.4 million square kilometres and representing a population of nearly 250,000 Territorians," NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy, who is spearheading the push, said.
"Tasmania, as an original state in the constitution, is guaranteed five seats regardless of its size – five members with a population of about 535,000."
The plan, which has support from Nationals senators and the lone Country Liberal Party senator, is before Parliament's electoral matters committee.
Labor holds both NT lower house seats, with Luke Gosling representing Solomon and Warren Snowdon in Lingiari.
ABC election analyst Antony Green said WA was set for a "massive" shift in electorate boundaries even though it looked likely to lose only one of its 16 seats. Its population grew last year but at a slower rate than Queensland and Victoria.
"Whichever seat is abolished, at least half of Perth's seats will undergo massive change, altering their political complexion," Mr Green wrote in his election blog.
The Coalition holds 77 lower house seats, Labor holds 68 and there are six on the crossbench.
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