Araluen – NT 2020

TA 8.1% vs ALP

Incumbent MP
Robyn Lambley, since 2010.

Geography
Alice Springs. Araluen covers the southern suburbs of Alice Springs, including Araluen, Desert Springs, Gillen, The Gap and parts of central Alice Springs and Sadadeen.

Redistribution
Araluen contracted, losing voters at the western end of the seat to Braitling and voters at the eastern and southern end to Namatjira. These changes reduced the margin from 8.2% to 8.1%.

History
The electorate of Araluen has existed since 1983. Prior to the current member leaving the CLP in 2015, the party had held the seat continuously for the last 32 years.

The CLP’s Jim Robertson won Araluen in 1983. Robertson had represented Gillen since 1974, and represented Araluen for one term, retiring in 1986.

The CLP’s Eric Poole won Araluen in 1986. Poole held the seat for fifteen years, retiring in 2001.

Jodeen Carney won Araluen in 2001. Carney was re-elected in 2005 despite many other Country Liberal seats on safer margins falling, and was elected as the party leader following the election. She stepped down as leader shortly before the 2008 election.

Carney was re-elected in 2008, and resigned from Araluen in 2010, triggering a by-election.

The 2010 by-election was won by CLP candidate Robyn Lambley, a former deputy mayor of Alice Springs. Lambley was elected deputy leader and deputy chief minister after the CLP won the 2012 election. She lost the deputy leadership in 2013, and was sacked from the ministry in February 2015. She resigned from the CLP in June 2015 after her seat of Araluen was proposed for abolition in the draft redistribution.

Lambley was re-elected in 2016 as an independent. She subsequently joined the Territory Alliance in early 2020.

Candidates

• Bernard Hickey (Greens)
• Domenico Pecorari (Federation)
• Wayne Wright (Independent)
• Jackson Ankers (Labor)
• Damien Ryan (Country Liberal)
• Robyn Lambley (Territory Alliance)

Assessment
Lambley has been re-elected twice, once for the CLP and once as an independent. It seems likely she will hold on.

2016 result

2016 two-candidate-preferred result

Booth breakdown
There were three booths in Araluen in 2016: Gillen, Alice Springs and Sadadeen. Pre-poll votes made up over 45% of the total vote.

Lambley’s primary vote was over 40% in the pre-poll vote, polling in the 30s in other vote groups, and did least well in the small booth of Sadadeen. On a two-candidate-preferred basis the same trend is obvious: Lambley polled 60% in the pre-poll, around 56% in Gillen and Alice Springs and less than 51% in Sadadeen.