Electoral division of Arafura
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2011) |
| Arafura Northern Territory—Legislative Assembly | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arafura in the Northern Territory | |||||||||||||||
| Territory | Northern Territory | ||||||||||||||
| Created | 1983 | ||||||||||||||
| MP | Manuel Brown | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Labor | ||||||||||||||
| Namesake | Arafura Sea | ||||||||||||||
| Electors | 5,536 (2023) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 57,410 km2 (22,166.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Demographic | Remote | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Arafura is an
Nguiu
. There were 5,183 people enrolled in the electorate as of August 2020.
History
Arafura was a safe seat for the
Labor Party for most of its history. Its first MLA was Labor leader Bob Collins, who transferred to the seat from Arnhem upon the expansion of the Assembly in 1983. Collins retired 4 years later and was replaced by Stan Tipiloura. Tipiloura died of kidney failure in 1992, and was succeeded by former Australian rules footballer Maurice Rioli. Rioli retired at the 2001 election and was in turn succeeded by Marion Scrymgour. Scrymgour briefly left the Labor party in 2009 after being sacked as a minister, and retired at the 2012 election
.
At that election, the CLP picked up a large and unprecedented swing in remote seats, which had traditionally been safe for Labor. Arafura was no exception, with CLP candidate Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu winning the seat on a 15 per cent swing. Kurrupuwu briefly left his party along with two other Indigenous CLP MLAs in 2014. Lawrence Costa regained the seat for Labor in 2016 as part of his party's landslide victory that year. The electorate has a particularly high Indigenous population, which has been reflected in its having been represented by five consecutive Indigenous MPs.
Members for Arafura
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Collins | Labor
|
1983–1987 | |
| Stan Tipiloura | Labor
|
1987–1992 | |
| Maurice Rioli | Labor
|
1992–2001 | |
| Marion Scrymgour | Labor
|
2001–2009 | |
Independent
|
2009 | ||
Labor
|
2009–2012 | ||
| Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu | Country Liberal | 2012–2014 | |
Independent
|
2014 | ||
Palmer United
|
2014 | ||
| Country Liberal | 2014–2016 | ||
| Lawrence Costa | Labor
|
2016–2022 | |
| Manuel Brown | Labor
|
2023–present | |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Manuel Brown | 2,038 | 66.7 | +17.7 | |
| Country Liberal | Leslie Tungatalum | 897 | 29.4 | −10.7 | |
| Australian Federation | Alan Middleton | 120 | 3.9 | +3.9 | |
| Total formal votes | 3,055 | 95.1 | +0.3 | ||
| Informal votes | 159 | 4.9 | −0.3 | ||
| Turnout | 3,214 | 58.1 | +5.4 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Manuel Brown | 2,113 | 69.2 | +15.6 | |
| Country Liberal | Leslie Tungatalum | 942 | 30.8 | −15.6 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | +15.6 | |||
References
- ^ "2023 Division of Arafura by-election results". Northern Territory Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 March 2023.