The 2023 Arafura by-election was held on Saturday, 18 March 2023 to elect the next member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for the electoral division of Arafura. The by-election was triggered by the death of incumbent Labor MP Lawrence Costa, who died on 17 December 2022 and had a state funeral held for him on 1 March.[2] The election was won by Labor candidate Manuel Brown. Chief Minister and NT Labor leader Natasha Fyles declared victory after two hours of counting.[3]
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| Registered | 5,536 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 58.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Location of Arafura in the Northern Territory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background edit
2020 election results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Lawrence Costa | 1,269 | 49.0 | +0.6 | |
| Country Liberal | Gibson Illortaminni | 1,041 | 40.2 | +4.4 | |
| Independent | Tristan Mungatopi | 199 | 7.7 | +3.5 | |
| Territory Alliance | George Laughton | 82 | 3.2 | +3.2 | |
| Total formal votes | 2,591 | 94.8 | N/A | ||
| Informal votes | 142 | 5.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,733 | 52.7 | N/A | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Lawrence Costa | 1,388 | 53.6 | −3.7 | |
| Country Liberal | Gibson Illortaminni | 1,203 | 46.4 | +3.7 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | −3.7 | |||
Candidates edit
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country Liberal | Leslie Tungutalum | Deputy Mayor of the Tiwi Islands Regional Council. Son of former member for Tiwi Hyacinth Tungutalum.[2] | |
| Labor | Manuel Brown | Former liaison officer for Costa.[2] | |
| Federation | Alan Middleton | Party officer.[6] | |
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Manuel Brown | 2,038 | 66.7 | +17.7 | |
| Country Liberal | Leslie Tungatalum | 897 | 29.4 | −10.7 | |
| Australian Federation | Alan Middleton | 120 | 3.9 | +3.9 | |
| Total formal votes | 3,055 | 95.1 | +0.3 | ||
| Informal votes | 159 | 4.9 | −0.3 | ||
| Turnout | 3,214 | 58.1 | +5.4 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Manuel Brown | 2,113 | 69.2 | +15.6 | |
| Country Liberal | Leslie Tungatalum | 942 | 30.8 | −15.6 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | +15.6 | |||
References edit
- ^ "2023 Division of Arafura by-election". 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Territory Labor, CLP announce Tiwi Islands candidates for NT's Arafura by-election after former member's sudden death - ABC News".
- ^ "Labor declares victory for Manuel Brown in Arafura by-election". ABC News. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Electorate summary: Arafura". NTEC. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Arafura". ABC Elections. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Bowles, Annabel; Haigh, Sierra (9 March 2023). "NT politics: Mobile voting teams start travelling Top End ahead of Arafura by-election". Courier-Mail. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "2023 Division of Arafura by-election results". Northern Territory Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 March 2023.