 Finocchiaro in 2020. | |
| Chief ministership of Lia Finocchiaro 28 August 2024 –present (357 days) | |
| Cabinet | Finocchiaro I Finocchiaro II |
|---|---|
| Party | Country Liberal Supermajority in legislature 17 / 25 |
| Election | 2024 |
| Appointed by | Administrator Hugh Heggie |
| Seat | Darwin,Northern Territory |
 Coat of Arms of the Northern Territory | |
| Official website | |
The chief ministership of Lia Finocchiaro began on 28 August 2024 when she was sworn-in by Administrator Hugh Heggie as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory alongside Gerard Maley as Deputy Chief Minister. Finocchiaro's Country Liberal Party (CLP) won a landslide victory at the 2024 Northern Territory general election,being elected in 17 of the 25 seats in the Northern Territory Parliament. The main opposition party,Territory Labor was reduced to 4 seats,while Labor leader and former Chief Minister Eva Lawler lost her seat. The margin of the CLP's victory was not reflected in polling prior to the election,which pundits had predicted would be a close race.
Contents
- Electoral history
- 2024 Northern Territory general election
- Territorial and domestic affairs
- Mining
- Housing
- National adolescent social media ban
- Education
- Treaty
- Law enforcement
- Appointments
- Cabinet
- Administrator and Supreme Court Justices
- Public service
- Legislative agenda
- Crime
- See also
- Notes
- References
A full 9 member cabinet was announced on 9 September 2024.
During her election campaign,Finocchiaro pledged to increase penalties for youth criminals,as well as lowering the age of criminal responsibility from the age of 12 to 10. This policy was heavily criticised by Amnesty International who warned it could breach human rights treaties and obligations [1] Despite this,Finocchiaro's government introduced the legislation early in her term,in addition to further measures restricting bail for violent offenders. Known as "Declan's Law",these reforms were a response to the murder 20 year old Declan Laverty,stabbed by a customer who was on bail for a violent assault while working in a Darwin bottle shop in March 2023. [2]
The Finocchiaro government also quickly introduced a scheme of incentives and grants to address housing affordability in September 2024,a key election commitment intended to address interstate migration. [3] The government has drawn criticism from Indigenous and conservation groups over the establishment of a new office of the Territory Coordinator. The powers of this appointment include exempting mining projects from environmental and other approval processes. [4] The government argued this reform was necessary to attract investment to the Territory and deliver on its commitments to rebuild the economy. The legislation was passed in March 2025. [5]
Along with Coalition counterparts in other Australian states,Finocchiaro voiced bipartisan support of the Federal government's adolescent social media ban.
