The Hon. Eva Lawler MP sworn in as NT Chief Minister
21 December 2023
On Thursday 21 December, the Hon. Eva Lawler MP was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Lawler was elected Leader of the Northern Territory Parliamentary Labor Party and Chief Minister following the resignation of the Hon. Natasha Fyles MP on Tuesday.
Lawler has served as the Member for Drysdale in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, an electorate which covers much of the Palmerston area. She is the first Labor MP to win a second term in the seat which was formerly a Country Liberal Party stronghold.
In the Fyles Labor Government she served as Treasurer, Minister for Education, and Minister for Territory Development. In the Gunner Government from 2016 to 2022, Lawler held several ministerial portfolios including Essential Services, Renewables and Energy, and Environment, Climate Change & Water Security.
The Hon. Chansey Paech MP has been elected Deputy Chief Minister after his predecessor in the Fyles Government the Hon. Nicole Manison MP moved to the backbench. Paech represents the electorate of Gwoja and serves as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, Local Government, Arts, and Culture and Heritage.
Member for Fong Lim Mark Monaghan has been appointed to the ministry filling the vacancy left by Manison.
There has also been a portfolio reshuffle with the first Lawler Cabinet tasked with continuing to grow the Northern Territory economy, curbing the cost of living and keeping Territorians safe. The new Cabinet is outlined in the table below.
The next Northern Territory general election is scheduled to be held on 24 August 2024.
Hawker Britton’s occasional papers on the Northern Territory Government can be found here.
For more information, please contact Hawker Britton Director Juliana Plummer on + 61 427 519 224.
Lawler Government Ministry
| Minister | Portfolio |
| Hon Eva Lawler MLA | Chief Minister; Treasurer; Minister for Territory Development; Minister for Defence Industries; Minister for Industry and Trade; Minister for Major Projects |
| Hon Chansey Paech MLA | Deputy Chief Minister; Leader of Government Business; Attorney General and Minister for Justice; Minister for Local Government; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty; Minister for the Arts, Culture and Heritage |
| Hon Selena Uibo MLA | Minister for Health; Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention; Minister for Remote Housing and Homelands; Minister for Parks and Rangers; Minister for Local Decision Making; Minister for Public Employment; Minister for Corporate and Digital Development |
| Hon Kate Worden MLA | Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water Security; Minister for Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence; Minister for Sport; Minister for Renewables and Energy; Minister for Essential Services |
| Hon Ngaree Ah Kit MLA | Minister for Territory Families; Minister for Urban Housing; Minister for Youth , Seniors, and Equality; Minister for Multicultural Affairs; Minister for Disabilities |
| Hon Brent Potter MLA | Minister for Police; Minister for Alcohol Policy; Minister for Fire and Emergency Services; Minister for Veterans’ Affairs; Minister for Major Events |
| Hon Joel Bowden MLA | Minister of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics; Minister for Business and Jobs; Minister for Skills, Training and International Education; Minister for Tourism and Hospitality; Minister for Recreational Fishing |
| Hon Mark Monaghan MLA | Minister for Education; Minister for Mining; Minister for Agribusiness and Fisheries |