A
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in the seat of
Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory was held on 20 August 2022, following the resignation of
Michael Gunner, the MLA for Fannie Bay and former chief minister, on 27 July 2022.
Early voting started on Monday 8 August.
Candidates
Brent Potter
Brent Potter is an Australian politician, representing the electoral division of Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 20 August 2022.
Career
Before his political career, Potter worked in the Australian Army, during wh ...
, a senior policy advisor to
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
and defence force veteran, contested the by-election for the Labor Party. Potter was reported to have been personally selected as a "captain's pick" by Fyles, and is married to the sister of Gabrielle Mappas, Fyles' chief of staff. Potter has been a resident of the Northern Territory since 2009. Potter currently lives outside of the electorate, in the
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...
suburb of
Bellamack, but has pledged to move to the electorate of Fannie Bay if elected. The length of Potter's employment as an advisor for the chief minister is unclear as Potter's LinkedIn account was deactivated. Screenshots Potter's now deactivated LinkedIn page taken the month before his nomination show he had previously worked for the CEO of an aerospace company, which he had helped secure $10 million in public funds from the government. On 9 August 2022, during a radio interview on
Mix 104.9
Mix 104.9 (call sign: 8MIX) is a radio station in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It started broadcasting in 1997 - at the time, sister station Hot 100 was the only commercial radio station in Darwin - and has a relay in the remote town ...
, host Katie Wolf raised allegations of pork barrelling around with a new Parap preschool with Potter, which he had been involved in announcing. Potter responded that the funding for the new primary school was in the government's infrastructure plan and would "be included in next year's budget".
Ben Hosking, a local small business owner and former police officer contested the by-election for the
Country Liberal Party
The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...
. Hosking was born in Darwin and grew up in the electorate of Fannie Bay, living in Ludmilla and attending school in Parap. In 2016, Hosking unsuccessfully contested Drysdale (based in Palmerston) electorate for the CLP. During this election, Hosking courted controversy for releasing a factually inaccurate and misleading advertisement in which he was holding an assault rifle. Hosking also previously attempted to run as a candidate for the federal seat of Solomon but failed to succeed at the pre-selection stage. Shortly after being announced as candidate, Hosking was filmed out the front of Michael Gunner's electoral office, which had recently been vandalised.
Jonathan Parry, a legal aid lawyer, contested the by-election for the
Northern Territory Greens
Northern Territory Greens is a Green Party located in the Northern Territory, a member of the federation of the Australian Greens party.
Green candidates first ran in the Northern Territory at the 1990 federal election and the 1990 Northern Te ...
. Parry is a resident of the electorate and is the party's national secretary.
Jonathan Parry is the only candidate who lives in the electorate, living in and owning a property in Parap.
Leah Potter is the founder of the Sunset Soup Kitchen and contested the election as an independent candidate. She contested the 2020 general election as an independent candidate for the seat of
Port Darwin
Port Darwin is the port in Darwin, Northern Territory, in northern Australia. The port has operated in a number of locations, including Stokes Hill Wharf, Cullen Bay and East Arm Wharf. In 2015, a 99-year lease was granted to the Chinese-owned ...
.
Results
See also
*
List of Northern Territory by-elections
This is a list of Northern Territory by-elections, with the names of the departing and new members and their respective parties.
Gains for the Labor Party are highlighted in red; for the Country Liberal Party in blue; for the Northern Territory ...
*
Electoral results for the division of Fannie Bay
References
{{reflist
External links
2022 Division of Fannie Bay by-election (Northern Territory Electoral Commission)
Northern Territory by-elections
Fannie Bay
2020s in the Northern Territory