Territory Labor has cancelled its annual conference 10 months out from the next election, with several sources saying the party’s elected members are too afraid to face the rank-and-file over a number of issues, including the Fyles Government’s poor environmental track record.

The annual conference is typically where the party develops its policies and platforms ahead of the election. However, at the party’s last conference, deep divisions and conflicts emerged when the party’s members moved a motion to ban fracking in the NT, putting them at odds with Ms Fyles and her parliamentary caucus.

Then, in August, the left faction of the party mulled a motion to expel Chief Minister Natasha Fyles from the left.

One source said the elected Labor members did not want to face the wrath of their rank-and-file and risk another no-confidence motion at the annual conference.

“There is a very large gap between what is agreed as a party and what the parliamentary caucus is doing,” they said.

“The right are in control of the party and they didn’t want to risk the left bringing forward a no confidence motion on Fyles or anything in relation to the fracking issue.”

Another party source said Ms Fyles, Ms Manison and the rest of caucus have shown they do not reflect traditional Labor values and questioned why anyone would become a party member if their voices are not being heard at the annual conference.

“You already have the government’s ongoing deception and lack of accountability [in general], but now the Ministers are terrified by the prospect of fronting up to their own party members and unions and explaining themselves,” the source said.

“No Labor values to be seen anywhere. What’s the point of being a branch member?”

The party, first under Michael Gunner and now under Ms Fyles, has taken a right-wing approach while in government, with a major focus on developing and promoting the Territory’s gas industry.

Ms Fyles in August evoked Margaret Thatcher while giving an address to the National Press Club, telling the country “the Territory’s not for turning” in relation to its plan to develop the Middle Arm Industrial precinct, which has also been contentious.

Ms Fyles’s office did not respond to requests for comments on the conference cancellation.

Treasurer Eva Lawler reportedly told the NT News on Thursday that annual conferences are “usually cancelled a year out from an election”, which is not true.

In Parliament later, Ms Fyles said: “We hold our party conferences out in the open.”

Another reason posited by a source for the conference’s cancellation was that the party’s membership numbers are declining and that Territory Labor does not have the funds to organise the conference and pay for guest speakers.

ALP president Anthony Venes did not respond to questions.