Karama – NT 2016

ALP 6.4%

Incumbent MP
Delia Lawrie (Independent), since 2001.

Geography
Northern Darwin. Karama covers the suburbs of Karama and Malak, between McMillans Drive and Vanderlin Drive.

Redistribution
No change.

History
The electorate of Karama has existed since 1987. The electorate was held by the CLP until 2001, and has been held by Labor ever since.

The CLP’s Mick Palmer won Karama in 1987. Palmer had held the seat of Leanyer since 1983, but moved to Karama after the redistribution. Palmer held Karama until 2001.

In 2001, Labor’s Delia Lawrie won the seat off Palmer. Lawrie was re-elected in 2005, 2008 and 2012. Lawrie joined the ministry in 2005. She was promoted to deputy chief minister in 2009.

Lawrie was elected Labor leader in 2012 after Labor lost power at the 2012 election. Lawrie faced legal issues related to the grant of a lease to Unions NT, and in April 2015 she stepped down as leader in the face of a leadership challenge.

In October 2015, the NT Labor Party decided to not endorse Lawrie for Karama at the 2016 election, and Lawrie resigned from the party to sit on the crossbench.

Candidates

• Edward Solo (1 Territory)
• Trevor Jenkins (Independent)
• Sonja Jebbink (Independent)
• Ngaree Ah Kit (Labor)
• Jarred Ilett (Country Liberal)
• Delia Lawrie (Independent)
• Jimmy Gimini (Independent)

Assessment
Labor would normally be expected to hold on to this seat with ease. If sitting MP Delia Lawrie runs again, that could be made more complicated. 15 years service in the area should give her a strong incumbency benefit, which could overcome a general trend towards Labor.

2012 result

2012 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown
There are two booths in Karama. A majority of votes are cast at Karama, where Labor polled 56.6% of the two-party-preferred vote, while Labor polled 61.7% at Manunda Terrace.

The CLP narrowly won the pre-poll vote, while Labor won 54% of the other votes.