2023 NT Electoral Boundary Redistribution

Help shape electoral boundaries ahead of the 2024 Territory election.

Objections against the second proposed redistribution are now open.

The Redistribution Committee has released the second proposed redistribution of electoral boundaries following public consultation on its first proposal. The redistribution aims to, as near as practicable, achieve an equal redistribution of electors across all 25 of the Territory divisions, as required by the Electoral Act 2004.

Read the second proposed redistribution.

Stakeholders and the public are invited to submit objections and feedback for the second proposal to the Redistribution Committee via:

Email: secretariat.ntec@nt.gov.au

Post: NT Electoral Commission, GPO Box 2419, Darwin NT 0801

Hand deliver: NT Electoral Commission front counter, Level 3, TCG Centre, 80 Mitchell Street, Darwin

The second objection period closes Friday 1 September 2023.

What is a redistribution?

The Northern Territory (NT) is divided into 25 electoral divisions with each division having one member of the NT’s Legislative Assembly to represent the people residing in them.

Each division’s boundaries are reviewed every four years to see if any changes are required prior to the next general election to ensure that the number of electors in each division is as near to equal as practicable. This review process is called a redistribution and includes several stages of public consultation as some areas of the NT may be distributed from one division to another in order to balance the numbers of electors.

Any changes made as a result of the redistribution will come into effect at the next general election.

Quota of electors

The object of the redistribution is that the number of electors in each division be as near to equal as practicable.

The quota of electors is the average number of electors across all 25 divisions.

The quota is to be calculated twice during the redistribution process:

1. After the establishment of the Redistribution Committee in February.
2. After the public objection period for the first proposed redistribution has closed which is anticipated for June 2023.

The total enrolment for the NT as at 3 February was 148,188. Therefore the first quota for the 2023 NT Electoral Boundary Redistribution is 5,928 electors.

The total enrolment for the NT as at 3 July 2023 was 152,444. Therefore the second quota for the 2023 NT Electoral Boundary Redistribution is 6,097 electors.

Division names

In addition to proposing boundaries for NT’s 25 electoral divisions, the committee can propose new names for divisions if the existing name is no longer appropriate.

The legislation specifies that the use of locality names should be avoided, although the following current divisions share their name with a locality:

• Araluen
• Braitling
• Casuarina
• Fannie Bay
• Karama
• Nightcliff
• Wanguri.

As boundaries change, these names may no longer be relevant, or may become confusing, when a suburb no longer lies wholly within one division.

The names of Commonwealth electoral divisions and of living persons should also be avoided. Divisions are now often named after a person who has died and given significant service to the NT, or from a name or word that is significant to the area where the division is located.

The Redistribution Committee encourages feedback for new names from the public, in particular for the listed divisions above.