2026 Nightcliff by-election
7 March 2026
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Electoral division of Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 5,940 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 3,913 (65.9% 10.8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A by-election for the electoral division of Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was held on 7 March 2026, following the resignation of Greens MLA Kat McNamara. The by-election was won by Ed Smelt for the Labor Party. The election was a setback for the Greens as they lost the only seat they held in the assembly.[1]
Background
McNamara resigned from the NT Legislative Assembly on 9 February 2026 citing "ongoing health challenges".[2] They[a] were the first Greens MLA in the NT, winning election in 2024 by just 36 votes.
2024 results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Natasha Fyles | 1,467 | 32.8 | −20.0 | |
| Country Liberal | Helen Secretary | 1,060 | 23.7 | +5.0 | |
| Greens | Kat McNamara | 981 | 22.0 | +3.2 | |
| Independent | Mililma May | 858 | 19.2 | +19.2 | |
| Independent | George Mamouzellos | 102 | 2.3 | +2.3 | |
| Total formal votes | 4,468 | 97.2 | |||
| Informal votes | 127 | 2.8 | |||
| Turnout | 4,595 | 81.3 | |||
| Estimated two-party-preferred result[b][3] | |||||
| Labor | Natasha Fyles | 2,908 | 65.1 | −9.0 | |
| Country Liberal | Helen Secretary | 1,559 | 34.9 | +9.0 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result[c] | |||||
| Greens | Kat McNamara | 2,252 | 50.4 | +50.4 | |
| Labor | Natasha Fyles | 2,216 | 49.6 | −24.5 | |
| Greens gain from Labor | |||||
Key dates
- Issue of writ — 12 February 2026
- Nominations open — 12 February 2026
- Electoral roll closes — 13 February 2026; 5 pm
- Nominations close — 19 February 2026; 12 pm
- Declaration of nominations and ballot draw — 13 February 2026; 1 pm
- Postal vote mail-out commences — 23 February 2026
- Early voting begins — 23 February 2026
- Mobile voting begins — 23 February 2026
- Overseas postal voting despatch closes — 3 March 2026; 5 pm
- All postal voting despatch closes — 5 March 2026; 5 pm
- Early voting closes — 6 March 2026; 6 pm
- Election day — 7 March 2026
- Election day voting closes — 7 March 2026; 6 pm
- Mobile voting closes — 7 March 2026; 5 pm
- Count begins — 7 March 2026; 5 pm
- Recheck of counts — 9 March 2026; 9 am
- Verification of declaration votes — 9 March 2026; 9 am
- Postal votes count begins — 9 March 2026; 9 am
- Postal vote deadline — 20 March 2026; 12 pm
- Final distribution of preferences — 20 March 2026; 12 pm
- Results declared — 23 March 2026; 10 am
- Return of writ — 13 April 2026
- Last day to dispute validity of election — 4 May 2026[4]
Candidates
On 11 February 2026, the Greens announced Suki Dorras-Walker as their candidate for the by-election. She had formerly contested the seat of Fannie Bay at the 2024 election and is a former teacher.[5] The following day, the Labor Party announced Darwin councillor Ed Smelt as their candidate.[6]
The Country Liberal Party confirmed Anjan Paudel as their candidate.[7] Phil Scott, who was associated with the Voices of the Top End group and who stood for the Division of Solomon at the 2025 federal election, stated that he would run as an independent candidate.[7]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greens | Suki Dorras-Walker | 1,298 | 33.9 | +12.0 | |
| Labor | Ed Smelt | 1,095 | 28.6 | −4.2 | |
| Country Liberal | Anjan Paudel | 765 | 20.0 | −3.7 | |
| Independent | Phil Scott | 668 | 17.5 | +17.5 | |
| Total formal votes | 3,826 | 97.8 | +0.5 | ||
| Informal votes | 87 | 2.2 | −0.5 | ||
| Turnout | 3,913 | 65.9 | −10.8 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Ed Smelt | 1,973 | 51.6 | +2.0 | |
| Greens | Suki Dorras-Walker | 1,853 | 48.4 | −2.0 | |
| Labor gain from Greens | Swing | +2.0 | |||
Results by polling place
First preference results by polling place
| Polling place | Greens | ALP | CLP | Phil Scott | Formal | Informal | Turnout | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Total | % | |
| Nightcliff pre-poll | 812 | 31.8 | 749 | 29.3 | 547 | 21.4 | 448 | 17.5 | 2,556 | 97.4 | 68 | 2.6 | 2,624 | 67.1 |
| Nightcliff | 334 | 37.4 | 248 | 27.8 | 167 | 18.7 | 143 | 16.0 | 892 | 98.3 | 15 | 1.7 | 907 | 23.2 |
| Urban Voting Darwin | 9 | 28.1 | 10 | 31.3 | 4 | 12.5 | 9 | 28.1 | 32 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 32 | 0.8 |
| Postal | 143 | 41.3 | 88 | 25.4 | 47 | 13.6 | 68 | 19.7 | 346 | 98.9 | 4 | 1.1 | 350 | 8.9 |
Two candidate preferred results by polling place
| Polling place | Greens | Labor | Formal | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Total | % | |||||||||
| Nightcliff pre-poll | 1,192 | 46.6 | 1,364 | 53.4 | 2,556 | 97.5 | ||||||||
| Nightcliff | 451 | 50.6 | 441 | 49.4 | 892 | 98.3 | ||||||||
| Urban Voting Darwin | 12 | 37.5 | 20 | 62.5 | 32 | 100.0 | ||||||||
| Postal | 198 | 57.2 | 148 | 42.8 | 346 | 98.9 | ||||||||
Notes
- ^ Kat McNamara identifies as non-binary and uses they/them and she/her pronouns.
- ^ By Antony Green.
- ^ Kat McNamara overtook Helen Secretary in the distribution of preferences to advanced to the runoff.
References
- ^ "Labor's Ed Smelt wins Nightcliff by-election, taking Greens' only NT seat". ABC News. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Hislop, Jack (9 February 2026). "Greens politician Kat McNamara quits NT parliament 18 months after historic Nightcliff win". ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "NT2024 – Analysis of the Northern Territory Election". Antony Green's Election Blog. 17 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Nightcliff By-election - Timetable". ntec.gov.au. Northern Territory Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ "Suki Dorras-Walker confirmed as Greens candidate for Nightcliff by-election". NT Greens. 11 February 2026. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Hislop, Jack (12 February 2026). "Nightcliff by-election set for March 7, Greens and Labor announce candidates". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ a b Hislop, Jack (16 February 2026). "CLP announces Anjan Paudel as Nightcliff by-election candidate, Phil Scott runs as independent". ABC News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Nightcliff By-election Results". Northern Territory Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ Briggs, Casey. "Nightcliff By-election 2026". ABC News. Retrieved 18 March 2026.