# 1974 Northern Territory general election

The first general election for the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 19 October 1974, and was won by the Country Liberal Party (CLP), formed a few months earlier from the merger of the territorial Country and Liberal parties.
The CLP won 49.01% of the vote, the Labor Party won 30.46% and independent candidates won 20.54%. The Country Liberals took 17 of the 19 assembly seats. The other two were held by independents; Dawn Lawrie won the seat of Nightcliff, and Ron Withnall won the seat of Port Darwin. Despite finishing second in the vote count, Labor failed to win any seats, therefore being a landslide victory for the Country Liberals. Its support was spread out across the Territory, and was not concentrated in enough areas to translate into seats.
As the territory was still being prepared for self-government, Country Liberal Leader Goff Letts took the post of Majority Leader–equivalent to a state premier. Instead of a cabinet, a seven-person "executive" managed internal affairs.

## Results

Summary of the results of the 1974 Northern Territory general election, Legislative Assembly :
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats |
| | Country Liberal | 13,690 | 49.01 | 17 |
| | Labor | 8,508 | 30.46 | 0 |
| | Independents | 5,737 | 20.54 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 27,935 | 100.00 | 19 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 27,935 | 94.93 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,493 | 5.07 | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 29,428 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 39,027 | 75.40 | |
Popular vote
Country Liberal
49.0%
Labor
30.5%
Independents
20.5% :
Seats
Country Liberal
89.5%
Independents
10.5% :

## Candidates

Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk is used.
| Electorate | ALP candidate | CLP candidate | Independent candidates |
| Alice Springs | Jean Leunig | Bernie Kilgariff | Alan Gray |
| Arnhem | Elizabeth Pearce | Rupert Kentish | |
| Barkly | Eric Marks | Ian Tuxworth | |
| Casuarina | Allan Dunstan | Nick Dondas | Robert McGahey Dudley Orr |
| Elsey | Kevin Frazer | Les MacFarlane | Leslie James James Martin |
| Fannie Bay | James Bowditch | Grant Tambling | Eleanor Fisher John McCormack |
| Gillen | Peter Leunig | Jim Robertson | |
| Jingili | Thomas Bell | Paul Everingham | |
| Ludmilla | Hazel Robertson | Roger Steele | Edward D'Ambrosio Brian Smith Grahame Stewart William Sullivan |
| Macdonnell | | Dave Pollock | Bruce Breaden Malcolm Wolf |
| Millner | Jack Hunt | Roger Ryan | William Forrest John Quinn |
| Nhulunbuy | John Flynn | Milton Ballantyne | William Hendry |
| Nightcliff | Edward Ellis | Alfred Hooper | Dawn Lawrie |
| Port Darwin | James Gallacher | William Jettner | Brian Manning Ron Withnall* |
| Sanderson | Mark Phelan | Liz Andrew | Alexander Allan-Stewart Herbert Sinclair |
| Stuart | Harry Nelson | Roger Vale | Reginald Harris |
| Stuart Park | Geoffrey Loveday | Marshall Perron | William Fisher John McNamee |
| Tiwi | John Nixon | Hyacinth Tungutalum | Peter Lawrence Robert Oaten Noel Padgham-Purich Lou Stewart |
| Victoria River | | Goff Letts | Wiyendji Nunggula Charles Renfrey |