Electoral division of Nightcliff

Nightcliff Northern Territory—Legislative Assembly
Location of Nightcliff in the Darwin/Palmerston area
Territory	Northern Territory
Created	1974
MP	Natasha Fyles
Party	Australian Labor Party
Namesake	Nightcliff
Electors	5,341 (2016)
Area	14 km^2 (5.4 sq mi)
Demographic	Urban

Nightcliff is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1974, and takes its name from the suburb of the same name. Nightcliff is one of the smallest electorates in the Territory, covering only 3.37 km² and taking in the Darwin suburb of Nightcliff, most of Rapid Creek and a small area of Coconut Grove. There were 5,341 people enrolled in the electorate as of August 2016.

Nightcliff has tended to be somewhat marginal, with incumbent members generally holding the seat for several years. The seat's first member, independent Dawn Lawrie, was one of only two non-Country Liberal Party members in the first parliament. Upon her retirement in 1983, it was taken by the CLP's Stephen Hatton, who later went on to become Chief Minister of the Territory. Hatton retired in 2001, and while Nightcliff was not a particularly safe CLP seat, it was widely expected that Hatton's son Jason would succeed him. However, he was unexpectedly defeated by Australian Labor Party candidate Jane Aagaard on a large swing that, after preferences, made Nightcliff technically a safe Labor seat. Her victory was part of a Labor sweep of north Darwin that enabled the party to win government for the first time.

Aagaard served a controversial stint as Health Minister and was ultimately axed from the ministry altogether, which led some commentators to suggest that she was in danger of losing her seat at the 2005 election. Despite this, she had very little difficulty holding the seat amid the massive Labor wave that swept through the Territory; after preferences she actually picked up a healthy swing of 8.5 percent, with almost double the votes of the CLP challenger.

Aagaard retired in 2012, and despite a swing against Labor at that year's election, the seat was held for the party by winning candidate Natasha Fyles. Labor's massive landslide at the 2016 election saw Fyles consolidate her hold on the seat; she now sits on a majority of 26.9 percent, making Nightcliff the safest seat in the Territory.

Members for Nightcliff

Member		Party	Term
	Dawn Lawrie	Independent	1974–1983
	Stephen Hatton	Country Liberal	1983–2001
	Jane Aagaard	Labor	2001–2012
	Natasha Fyles	Labor	2012–present

Election results

Northern Territory general election, 2016: Nightcliff^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Natasha Fyles	2,485	60.9	+25.3
	Country Liberal	Ted Dunstan	868	21.3	−11.1
	Greens	Matt Haubrick	726	17.8	+11.0
Total formal votes			4,079	98.1	+1.4
Informal votes			78	1.9	−1.4
Turnout			4,157	77.8	+0.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Natasha Fyles	3,049	76.9	+17.8
	Country Liberal	Ted Dunstan	918	23.1	−17.8
	Labor hold		Swing	+17.8

References

1. Nightcliff – Electorate summary, Northern Territory Electoral Commission, 9 September 2016

External links

• Division profile from the Northern Territory Electoral Commission