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ABC News
ABC News
National

Northern Territory voters voice their uncertainty as Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls the federal election

First time voter Ryan Clayton says he has not been convinced by either of the major parties. (ABC News: Matt Garrick)

For 23-year-old Ryan Clayton, a first-time voter and lifelong Territorian, the impending federal election isn't throwing up any obvious choices.

The Bees Creek local is leaning towards handing his vote to Labor, but said, right now, "it's fluid".

"I want to see what they're offering, see if they actually mean what they say, but that's a bit hard to tell really isn't it?" Mr Clayton said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the election on Sunday, to be held on May 21.

The ABC spoke to a range of people in Darwin's rural area on Saturday, and of those, most said they were still undecided about who to vote for in the upcoming poll.

In the Territory, two seats are up for grabs, Solomon and Lingiari, both of which are currently held by Labor, both with winnable margins of less than 10 per cent.

However, voters said they were not feeling immense confidence one way or the other.

"I'm not sure yet," rural Darwin's Ellie Misob said.

"But, if something interests me from a certain party, I'll vote for them."

Darwin rural resident Ellie Misob (centre) says she hasn’t yet made up her mind on who to vote for.  (ABC News: Matt Garrick)

Pet food business owner Brenton James said he was "not sure who is going to do the best job for the Territory".

"I'll make that decision closer to the day," Mr James said.

"At the moment, I've been really happy with the way ScoMo has handled the COVID situation.

"For us, we didn't go into recession like other countries did. But is that enough?"

For market stall holder Teremayi Manozho, another undecided voter, she said she was on the lookout for reasons to vote for a particular candidate, with education — a Territory responsibility — on the forefront of her mind.

Market stallholder and undecided voter Teremayi Manozho with her son, Toby, at Freds Pass Markets. (ABC News: Matt Garrick)

"Teachers need a bit of support in the classroom," Ms Manozho said.

The ballot needs to be held before the end of May this year so that the half-Senate vote can be held at the same time as that for the House of Representatives.

The outcome will prove which one of the two major parties the Australian public believes is best placed to navigate the challenges of a post-pandemic landscape and to deal with increasing global tensions.

Korina Hawthorne says she’ll cast her vote towards the Greens or an independent.  (ABC News: Matt Garrick)

On a local Northern Territory level, issues such as roads, education, crime prevention and equality will come to the fore.

Freds Pass Market stallholder Samantha Toft-Goulding said stopping "crime [also a Territory responsibility] and supporting small business" would be on top of her agenda come election day, as she weighed up where to cast her vote.

Freds Pass Markets stallholder Samantha Toft-Goulding says crime, a territory responsibility, is a big issue for her. (ABC News: Matt Garrick)

Coleen Klein, a rural resident who works out in the bush, said she did not believe politicians were delivering enough for Territorians, "and they don't care about the average person".

"It's all about them and their power," Ms Klein said.

She said she'd been unhappy with how the Coalition had handled issues regarding women in recent years and that, while she was not yet sold on any of the other parties and still remained undecided, she would be voting against incumbency in 2022.

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