The first official day of the 2024 election campaign kicked off in Palmerston on Thursday, as both major parties took to the battleground satellite city for press conferences, while an independent MLA found himself saving the day for the CLP when a couple of countrymen from Wadeye crashed the party’s presser making its politicians uncomfortable.

The election writ was officially issued Thursday morning by the Administrator, meaning the government is in caretaker mode until the election results are returned after the vote on August 24.

Palmerston is expected to be an election battleground with both parties’ leaders hailing from the city and both parties looking to retain and pick up seats there, as Chief Minister Eva Lawler is expected to be in a close battle for her own seat of Drysdale.

Ms Lawler and Police Minister Brent Potter were outside the Palmerston Police Station to talk up their government’s crime reduction plan Thursday morning.

“One of the things that I’ve heard, well I’ve heard, I’ve heard it many, many times, is the issue around keeping Territorians safe. My record shows that we’re a government that has addressed that issue in a comprehensive way with $570 million over five years for our police, 200 extra sworn police officers,” Ms Lawler said, reiterating other previously announced pledges around the economy, education and infrastructure spending.

She added she was “nervous” and “anxious” about the prospects of losing her own seat.

“I’ll always fight hard for my own seat,” she said. “I’m always very anxious around elections around my own seat, because our seats are small and I would never take for granted any of my constituents’ vote. So I’ll continue to work hard in my electorate.”

Ms Lawler was busy yesterday – the day before the caretaker period began – signing an education funding agreement with the Federal Government, secretly gazetting a major water allocation plan and doing a last minute deal with the teacher’s union to see a raise for the Territory’s teachers. But the late execution of those deals were called into question.

“That’s what good government does, you continue to drive and do work rather than just resting on your laurels and putting your feet up,” she said. “I was signing things yesterday, probably at 6 o’clock last night.”

Asked if she signed anything else she wanted to make public, Ms Lawler said: “I don’t think there is anything that needs to be made public at all”.

“As I said, that’s your job as Chief Minister, is you sign things that need to be signed and I have done what I needed to do.”

A short time later, CLP Leader Lia Finocchiaro fronted television cameras in the Palmerston CBD to highlight her party’s campaign pledges around crime, the cost of living, “rebuilding our economy” and “restoring our lifestyle”.

Ms Finocchiaro said Labor had failed to deliver action on the issues facing the Territory.

“Territorians are sick and tired of labor telling them to trust them because they don’t,” she said. “Their delivery has been abysmal, and the lives of Territorians [are] going backwards. The CLP has put forward the solutions to the problems facing the territory as detailed in our plan.”

As CLP Drysdale candidate Clinton Howe was speaking, two men identifying themselves as being from Wadeye crashed the press conference to offer their life stories.

CLP candidate Clinton Howe speaks to a man named Mark from Wadeye.

Mr Howe suggested he would get a coffee with the blokes at a later date, but the men continued while Ms Finocchiaro and her staffers looked on.

At that moment, Member for Blain Mark Turner was walking his beat and engaged in conversation with the men while the press conference wrapped up. At one point, one of the men was hugging Mr Turner and pulling his beard, saying he had never met a “giant” before.

The cameras then turned to Mr Turner who proceeded to conduct an impromptu press conference on the street.

“Everybody expects that it’s going to be a two-horse race between Labor and the Country Liberal Party, but I put my hand up because it’s my community that I’m raising my children in and I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “There is so much that we need to do.”

Asked what he thought about both leaders kicking their campaigns off in Palmerston, Mr Turner said he was not surprised.

“They’re worried about Palmerston,” he said. “We’re the fastest growing place in the Territory and the general feeling in Palmerston seems to be a little bit different to Darwin and the Northern Suburbs – people here are just fed up.

“It’s gone from being big ticket issues…to just being able to go and do your grocery shopping in peace. So far, I haven’t seen anything released from the major parties that’s going to result in any tangible change.”

Mr Turner, a former police officer, has been known to do patrols in the electorate and attend to victims of crime when authorities don’t show up.

He said the CLP’s plans to make new laws were not necessary and that he wanted to see departments delivering services and ensuring the laws in place are acted on.

Aside from throwing money at their campaign pledges, neither party leader was willing to explain how precisely they intend to reduce the debt which is forecast to hit $11 billion this year.

The election is August 24. Territorians have until Friday at 5pm to ensure their enrolment details are correct. Nominations close August 8.