When Michael Gunner swept to power in 2016, he did so with a leadership team in Territory Labor that more than seven years later, no longer exists.
Nicole Manison was his trusted deputy, holding numerous portfolios including stints in police and treasury.
She was by his side as he proclaimed victory over a one-term Country Liberal government riven by division, infighting and scandal, as the new Labor government team promised to “govern for all territorians”.
Rounding out the leadership trio was Natasha Fyles, name-dropped by Mr Gunner in his victory speech for her hard work, who went on to hold high-profile portfolios including health right through the pandemic.
Ms Manison and Ms Fyles were seen not only as competent operators at Mr Gunner’s side, but future leaders.
Following a spectacular turn of events just prior to Christmas 2023, both reside on the backbench for now, while Mr Gunner has exited politics completely.
Ms Fyles stepped down as chief minister and relinquished her portfolios last month amid mounting pressure over her ownership of undisclosed mining shares.
But the long-standing local member has vowed to stay on into the future and said she will fight to keep representing Nightcliff at the upcoming election, which has historically been Territory Labor’s safest seat.
But Ms Manison, having failed twice in her bids to become chief minister in 2022 and 2023, will leave politics altogether when territorians head to the polls on August 24.
Two other former Gunner government cabinet ministers, Lauren Moss and Paul Kirby, have also been consigned to the backbench – dumped in a cabinet reshuffle in October – and it remains to be seen if either of them will run again.
Instead, it will fall on Eva Lawler to lead Labor to the next election, with a team of relatively fresh faces and candidates.
It leaves Territory Labor a startlingly different product than the one that shot to power in 2016.
Departure a complication in Labor’s heartland
Ms Manison’s decision this week not to contest the seat of Wanguri opens a rare opportunity for the Country Liberal Party opposition.
For two decades the CLP has struggled to regain its foothold in Darwin’s northern suburbs, seen by many political observers as key to achieving a working majority on the floor of NT parliament.
Its control of the north means Labor has lost just one NT election since the new millennium.
Territory Labor has, since its first NT election victory in 2001, dominated leafy suburban seats like Nightcliff, Casuarina and Wanguri.
But, without Ms Manison in Wanguri, and with Ms Fyles and Ms Moss now serving from the backbench for Nightcliff and Casuarina with no certainty of how long they’ll remain in politics, voters may be inclined to take a chance on a change.
The change of chief minister so close to the polls has also left Labor politically vulnerable.
The NT Labor government has already faced pressure over the past 18 months on several fronts, including its handling of crime and disadvantage in the community.
The new chief minister, Ms Lawler, is looking to also act fast to shore up Labor’s integrity issues, promising a review of how politicians declare their interests in shares, and whether they can own shares at all.
But will this be enough to turn around the party’s fortunes?
And will the shift away from the leaders of the Gunner and Fyles governments be enough to convince voters that this Labor government is evolving?
Or will voters judge Labor’s third leader in as many years as exactly what the party ran against in the first place – a government riven by division, infighting and scandal?
The NT’s small population means seats can change hands if even a handful of voters switch allegiances.
Ms Manison has accrued strong local loyalty due to her prominent role in government.
The CLP hasn’t unveiled its candidate for Wanguri just yet, but it will be hoping this high-profile departure is the weakness in Labor’s northern suburbs stronghold that paves the way for Lia Finocchiaro to clinch victory.
Likewise with Nightcliff and Casuarina.
If Ms Finocchiaro succeeds, it will be a very different leadership team from Territory Labor giving a concession speech in August.
But the key test for her, and the CLP’s president Shane Stone, will be to find candidates that can convince constituents to vote for change.