Ganley concedes defeat: ‘I’ve loved every minute’
LABOR will hang onto Solomon with a reduced margin.
With 72 per cent of the vote counted last night, Mr Gosling was on track to for a 52-48 win over the CLP’s Kathy Ganley.
Carrying his sleeping son on his shoulder, Labor’s Luke Gosling arrived to his party’s election night function to a hero’s welcome.
Mr Gosling said he would work from Opposition to get defence infrastructure spend moving to get the depressed Territory economy moving again.
He spoke of his sadness for his departing colleagues but said Labor would accept the will of Australians.
“For six long years Darwin and Palmerston hasn’t got the attention it deserves,” Mr Gosling said.
There was a big cheer for Labor second senate choice — union organiser Wayne Kurnorth — who was turfed after it was revealed he had put forward conspiracy theories about Zionist lizard people.
At the CLP function in Cullen bay, Kathy Ganley told the crowd she had “loved every minute” of her year long campaign.
The Fannie Bay mother of two spent the days leading up to yesterday’s poll smashing the Gunner Labor Government’s economic record which put her within range of an upset victory.
“What’s most important to me now is this family that have supported me through the whole process,” Ms Ganley said. “I just want to tell my daughter Nina that I will no longer be a holiday mum now, who’s only there for Easter and Christmas. I’ve got time to spend with Nina now.”
The Greens picked up 12 per cent of first preference votes against community concern about the environmental impact of fracking.
Independent Sue FraserAdams, standing for unregistered party 1 Territory, picked up 4.6 per cent.