Country Liberal Party

Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory
AbbreviationCLP
LeaderLia Finocchiaro
Deputy LeaderGerard Maley
PresidentLawson Broad
Senate LeaderJacinta Nampijinpa Price
Founded
Headquarters229 McMillans Road, Jingili, Northern Territory
Youth wingYoung Country Liberals
Ideology
Political position
National affiliationLiberal–National Coalition
Colours  Orange (official)
  Blue (occasionally customary)
SloganThe Territory Party
Legislative Assembly
7 / 25
House of Representatives
0 / 2
(NT seats)
Senate
1 / 2
(NT seats)
Website
www.clp.org.au

The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP),[10] commonly known as the Country Liberals, 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 elections as an affiliate of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia, the two partners in the federal coalition.

The CLP originated in 1971 as a division of the Country Party (later renamed the National Party), the first local branches of which were formed in 1966. It adopted its current name in 1974 to attract Liberal Party supporters, but maintained a sole affiliation with the Country Party until 1979 when it adopted its current joint association. The party dominated the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from the inaugural election in 1974 through to its defeat at the 2001 election, winning eight consecutive elections and providing the territory's first seven chief ministers. Following its defeat in 2001, the party did not return to power until 2012, but was defeated after a single term and has remained in opposition since 2016. The party is currently led by Lia Finocchiaro, who was elected party leader and leader of the opposition in February 2020.

At federal level, the CLP contests elections for the Northern Territory's House of Representatives and Senate seats, which also cover the Australian Indian Ocean Territories. It is registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). Its candidates do not form a separate parliamentary party but instead join either the Liberal or National party rooms – for instance, CLP senator Nigel Scullion was a long-serving deputy leader of the Nationals. Its sole current federal legislator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price sits with the National Party.

The CLP's constitution describes it as an "independent conservative" party and commits it to Northern Territory statehood. It has typically prioritised economic development of the territory and originally drew most of its support from Outback towns and the pastoral industry. It later developed a voter base among the urban middle-class populations of Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs (the latter two of which are strongholds for the party). The party has had a fluctuating relationship with the territory's large Indigenous population, notably providing the territory's first Indigenous MP (Hyacinth Tungutalum) and Australia's first Indigenous head of government (Adam Giles).


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  1. ^ Heatley, Alistair. The Territory Party: The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, 1974–1998. NTU Press. p. 5.
  2. ^ Heatley, Alistair. The Territory Party: The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, 1974–1998. NTU Press. pp. 8–9.
  3. ^ a b c J. Heatley, Alistair (1998). The Territory Party: The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, 1974–1998. Charles Darwin University.
  4. ^ Stafford Smith, Robyn (2011). Arcadian populism: the Country Liberal Party and self-government in the Northern Territory (Thesis). Charles Darwin University. p. 395.
  5. ^ Stafford Smith, Robyn (2011). Arcadian populism: the Country Liberal Party and self-government in the Northern Territory (Thesis). Charles Darwin University. p. 56, 70.
  6. ^ a b J. Heatley, Alistair (1998). The Territory Party: The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, 1974–1998. Charles Darwin University. p. 56.
  7. ^ Burgess, Molly (13 July 2020). "Country Liberal Party focuses on hydrogen". h2-view.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. The Country Liberal Party, a liberal conservative political party in Australia, has said it will focus on hydrogen, solar and national energy connectivity for a cleaner, more affordable energy future.
  8. ^ Stafford Smith, Robyn (2011). Arcadian populism: the Country Liberal Party and self-government in the Northern Territory (Thesis). Charles Darwin University. p. 5, 10, 71.
  9. ^ J. Heatley, Alistair (1998). The Territory Party: The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, 1974–1998. Charles Darwin University. p. 77, 87, 133.
  10. ^ "Constitution of the Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory" (PDF). 13. Country Liberal Party. 6 April 2018. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.

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