Labor candidate Yiwarr McGrath has won the by-election for Mulka, giving the party the remote Arnhem Land seat for the first time since 2016.
McGrath is a Yolngu registered nurse and health researcher from Galiwinku. He will enter the Northern Territory parliament after defeating independent candidate Andrew Blamey in the two-candidate contest.
At the time the result was reported, McGrath held about 77.5 per cent of the counted vote. Final figures remain subject to the formal declaration process of the Northern Territory Electoral Commission.
The result increases Labor’s representation in the NT parliament to six seats. Mulka includes remote communities and the mining town of Nhulunbuy, where Rio Tinto’s planned withdrawal in 2029 was a central campaign issue.
Before boundary and name changes, Labor held the former seat of Nhulunbuy for decades. Independent Yingiya Mark Guyula won it in 2016 and retained the successor seat until his death prompted the by-election.
Source: ABC News election coverage and Northern Territory Electoral Commission information.
Illustration disclosure: The featured image is an AI-generated editorial concept. It does not depict Yiwarr McGrath, the actual parliament building or a real ballot scene.
