If taxi drivers and locals on their weekend shop are a gauge of a city’s political pulse, two recent conversations could indicate rising pressure following Darwin’s Fannie Bay by-election.
Triggered after the shock resignation of former chief minister Michael Gunner last month, Saturday’s by-election was the culmination of a high visibility, three-week campaign by the Northern Territory’s major parties.
However, the voter turnout was surprisingly low for an urban Northern Territory seat.
It hovered around 68 per cent, similar to the turnout for last year’s Daly by-election — an electorate that straddles remote and rural centres, and could typically expect the slimmer numbers.
So, why were punters so tuned out, despite such a frontline campaign by the main candidates?
A possible answer came during a cab ride from the city centre to Parap on Friday night.
Reporter: “Who do you think will win the by-election tomorrow?”
Taxi driver: “Doesn’t really matter, does it? They’re both as bad as each other.”
And a bloke in a Jingili bottle shop, after the by-election results were handed down on Saturday:
Resident: “Why do you think the voter turnout was so low?”
Reporter: “Maybe it’s a nice dry season day, people weren’t bothered lining up to vote?”
Resident: “Or maybe it’s because neither of the main candidates lived in the electorate, and none of the community knew them from a bar of soap.”
Labor candidate Brent Potter nabbed the win on Saturday night, but it came neither clean nor easy.
Only through Greens preferences did Labor manage to get across the line, with the Country Liberal Party winning the primary count by more than 300 votes.
At Labor’s function on Saturday night, there were tears, hugs and much self-congratulation to be had.
Likewise, at the Country Liberal Party’s do, there was less commiseration in the air than perhaps warranted, with the party leaders buoyed by the healthy swing towards candidate, Ben Hosking.
But after the dust settles on the results, perhaps both major parties would be wise to do some soul-searching to find out why more than a quarter of the electorate chose to opt out of democracy.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles acknowledged the turnout wasn’t ideal.
“There’ll be a lot of analysis over the coming weeks around the final results and the low voter turnout,” Ms Fyles said.
“It’s something that we strive to engage everyone in the democratic process, and we will certainly take onboard any feedback.”
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro – who Ms Fyles made sure to mention has now lost four elections during her time at the helm – described the low turnout as “disappointing”.
“Ultimately what we know is that the people who did turn out today voted to send Labor a message,” she said, referring to the primary vote win by the CLP.
Greens candidate Jonathan Parry, who unlike his CLP and Labor counterparts does live in the Fannie Bay electorate, was blunter in his assessment of the meagre turnout.
“The low voter turnout, to me, I think it has to do with saturation,” Mr Parry said.
“We saw the two major parties pump a lot of energy and a lot of resources here, and turn it into a battleground, and that’s not how the people of Fannie Bay want to see elections run.
“They want candidates who live in the electorate, candidates who speak for community issues, and want to see some real differences and changes.”
In defence of the new Fannie Bay member of parliament, Brent Potter, he has committed to moving his family into the electorate and said he’s looking for somewhere to rent or buy in the area.
“We were going to move, win or lose, and we’re going to move,” Mr Potter said after the election, on Sunday.
“But I don’t think that discriminates whether a good candidate can deliver for people in the electorate – good open ears, clear communication, being honest and delivering are probably the clear things in a candidate.”
The former army veteran and fifth floor staffer now has two years to prove he’s more than just a Labor party player chosen to fill a gap, and that he’s willing to truly become part of the community who entrusted him with their votes.
Mr Potter also said he’s committed to getting on with the job, and trying to deliver on the promises made during his campaign, from reducing criminal behaviour to progressing on undergrounding power.
If he doesn’t, it’s a fair bet that Darwin’s cab drivers and blokes stocking up their eskys in the electorate will be voting for change come the Northern Territory election in 2024.