AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2008
NT: Final day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow's poll
DARWIN, Aug 8 AAP - Battling to be heard above the Olympics hype, Northern Territory
politicians were still hard at it today trying to woo voters ahead of tomorrow's election.
While the world's top athletes begin chasing gold in Beijing, Top End Labor is chasing
its third term in government.
Speculation the party will lose between four and five of its 19 seats was today rejected
by former chief minister Clare Martin, who resigned in November citing the bruising impact
of the federal intervention into Aboriginal communities.
"The general view is, and I've been listening to the pollsters over the last few days,
is that Labor will be returned," she told the ABC.
"And the part of that that is the unknown - there seems to be a view that we will lose seats.
"I personally can't see that. I think (chief minister) Paul's (Henderson) done a great job."
Mr Henderson called a lightning race to the polls 18 days ago, using a $12 billion
Japanese gas plant as his mandate for announcing an election 11-months early.
The Country Liberals, decimated at the last election when they were left with only
four of the 25 seats in parliament, have matched the government's tough talk on law and
order.
Lifestyle, development and fishing have also been key election issues.
CLP leader Terry Mills has distanced himself from handwritten letters - dropped into
letterboxes across Darwin suburbs - detailing why voters should abandon Labor after the
NT Electoral Commission found they broke the law.
"I know that an investigation is being conducted," he said.
"I don't condone anything that is outside the rules."
Yesterday the CLP promised to slash the public service and introduce a youth curfew,
while Labor accused it of needing to sack one in seven public servants in order to fund
its election promises.
AAP tr/it/mn
KEYWORD: POLLNT DAYLEAD
2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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