In short: 

Former health minster Selena Uibo has been named as the new leader of the Territory Labor Party, making her the Northern Territory’s new opposition leader.

It makes her the first Indigenous woman to lead a major political party in Australian history.

What’s next?

Territory Labor will have four or five members when parliament returns in October, depending on whether former chief minister Natasha Fyles wins the seat of Nightcliff, which is still in doubt.

Territory Labor has named Selena Uibo as its new opposition leader, 10 days on from the party’s landslide defeat in the Northern Territory election.

It means the former health minister and attorney-general is the first Indigenous woman to lead a major political party in Australian history.

The Arnhem MLA will steer an opposition party of just four or five members – four of which are First Nations – against the Country Liberal Party’s (CLP) majority government of 17 members.

Dheran Young, who first won his seat of Daly in a 2021 by-election, has been named the deputy opposition leader.

The pair were unanimously voted into their new leadership roles by the Labor caucus, in a move that’s seen former deputy chief minister Chansey Paech demoted after the party’s election loss.

Addressing the media on Tuesday for the first time since polls closed, Ms Uibo said she was “proud and privileged” to lead a “strong, robust and accountable opposition”.

“I love the Northern Territory, I work hard every day for my electorate,” she said.

“I’ve been honoured to have two terms as the member for Arnhem and now a third term.

“I can reassure Territorians that we’ll be working very hard in opposition, as the Labor opposition, to ensure that the new CLP government is held to account and that they deliver for Territorians as they’ve promised.”

Speaking about Territory Labor’s reduction from 14 members to just four or five, Ms Uibo acknowledged there were a “lot of lessons” to learn from the election.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from Territorians that they wanted a change – we honour and respect that,” she said.

“It’s absolutely going to be a difficult challenge, there’s no understating that, but it’s one that we’re up for.”

Ms Uibo was first elected to parliament in 2016, when she won the seat of Arnhem from an independent, before she went on to retain it for Territory Labor at the 2020 election. 

She has spent six of the past eight years on the last government’s frontbench, holding multiple ministries including remote housing, health, education, Aboriginal affairs and justice.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Ms Uibo pointed to a $4 billion remote housing partnership with the Commonwealth as one of the last government’s greatest achievements.

“When we talk about changing lives, social and justice reform as well as economic stability in all of our regional and remote parts of the territory … housing is number one to improving the lives of Territorians,” she said.

A born-and-raised Territorian, Ms Uibo grew up in Batchelor and later Darwin before studying education and arts at the University of Queensland.

She began teaching in the territory in 2010, following in the footsteps of her Nunggubuyu and Wanindilyakwa mother and second-generation Australian father, who both had long careers in education.

Ms Uibo, 39, speaks English, Kriol and some of the Wubuy language of Numbulwar.

She lives in Katherine with her husband Corey and their two children, Radiance and Phoenix.

All four members of Territory Labor who are set to retain their seats – Ms Uibo, Mr Young, Mr Paech and Manuel Brown – are First Nations people.

Former chief minister Natasha Fyles will become the party’s fifth member if she continues to hold the lead in Nightcliff, when the official results are declared on Monday.

Parliament will return in October.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-03/selena-uibo-new-nt-opposition-leader-territory-labor-election/104304128