NT election loss an 'indictment' on crime and disunity

Lessons must be learnt by the federal government, the opposition has urged, with Labor hit with a crushing defeat in the Northern Territory election.

A 10.1 per cent swing to the Country Liberal Party at Saturday's poll left Labor with 42.9 per cent of the two-party preferred and a 29.5 per cent primary vote.

With a federal contest on the horizon, there are worries Labor could lose its marginal Northern Territory seat Lingiari and Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the party must take note.

"This was not just an indictment on ... the Territory Labor team but also on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for leaving the people of the Territory behind," she told Sky News on Sunday.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles congratulated the NT's next leader, Lia Finocchiaro, but noted it was Territory issues, rather than federal concerns, that fuelled her party's victory.

"We will look at every election very closely," he told Sky News.

"The issues that were at hand in this election were Territory-based, law and order being front and centre.

"If we get the government right and deal with the issues right, the politics will follow."

The result also shows electorates want their politicians to lead with courage, Nationals leader David Littleproud said.

"Crime is just out of control in the Northern Territory," he told Triple M.

"Their economic circumstances are plummeting and the (prime minister) has been in the front and centre of that, so obviously there's some lessons for us all."

There are two federal electorates within the Northern Territory but the Darwin seat of Solomon - held by Luke Gosling - is relatively safe for Labor after it received a 6.3 per cent swing in the two-party preferred at the 2022 election, which gave the government a 9.4 per cent swing in the seat.

By comparison, the outback electorate of Lingiari was held by Marion Scrymgour on a 0.9 per cent margin after a 4.5 per cent swing to the Country Liberal Party on the two-party preferred vote at the 2022 contest.

Mr Gosling said he had been working with the NT government on law and order and cost-of-living.

Though Labor's Eva Lawler did a "good job" in her nine months as chief minister, Ms Gosling said appointing three different leaders during the party's eight-year-long hold over the Territory did not go down well with voters.

"Disunity is death in politics," he told Sky News.

"The people of the territory, particularly up here in Darwin, marked us down for that."

Votes are still being counted but the Country Liberal Party is expected to win at least 15 seats in the NT's 25-seat parliament, compared to Labor's four.

A federal election must be held by May 2025.