Strong showing by Indigenous candidates in NT elections

Indigenous candidates performed strongly in the 2021 Northern Territory local government elections, winning a majority of the vacancies on regional councils.

Results from the 28 August elections show that of the 97 elected members on regional councils, 87.6 percent are Aboriginal. 

In MacDonnell Regional Council, the Tiwi Islands Regional Council (TIRC), and West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC), 100 percent of the elected members are Aboriginal.

The results also saw new mayors for the Litchfield Council and Alice Springs Town Council (Doug Barden and Matt Paterson respectively) and 77 newly elected council members.

Voter participation in the five municipal and 12 regional and remote area council elections was up slightly on the 2017 election.

Turnout was strongest in Litchfield Council and Wagait Shire, where over 70 percent of those enrolled cast their vote.   

WARC welcomed six new elected members (50 percent), bringing Aboriginal representation on the council to 100 percent for the first time.

CEO Daniel Findley said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the region and I personally look forward to seeing what our new council achieve over the next four years”.

The Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) will host a symposium next week for new and current elected members to build skills, share expertise, team-build, and network.