Sitting in her office perched over the turquoise waters of Darwin Harbour, the Northern Territory's third chief minister in as many years is yet to fully make her mark in the top job.
After all, Eva Lawler, a former school principal who has risen through the ranks of the NT's Labor government over the past seven years, has only been its leader for a month.
In an exclusive interview with Stateline NT, Ms Lawler says her priority as chief minister is to expand the territory's gas and resources industries to fund school, police and health upgrades.
And she says the work of combating alcohol-related crime and violence in the territory is an ongoing and difficult project for her government, comparing the task to squeezing a balloon
"You squeeze it tight here, and it pops out there, because the people you are dealing with are chronic alcoholics," she says.
But where she is most frank is on the challenge she faces in winning Labor the looming Northern Territory election, scheduled for August 24 this year.
She even expresses concern about her chances of winning her own electorate of Drysdale, citing a redistribution that has brought in constituents from the neighbouring electorate of Brennan, held by the conservative Country Liberal Party.
"I've had changes to my own seat, so I need to continue to do my own work in my own electorate to win my seat," she says.
"But then I also need to support the new candidates who are coming in as well."
The NT government has been dogged by rising crime rates and two changes of leadership in the four years since the last election.
It is also facing the challenge of at least two senior members of Territory Labor, Nicole Manison and Paul Kirby, leaving politics at the election and throwing open the contest for their seats.
But Ms Lawler says she will "drive hard to the next election".
"I'm out there listening, I've always been out there listening to people," Ms Lawler says, of her approach leading up to the election.
"That will then set my direction for [the] things that I do."
Gas still on the burner
Loading...A big part of the NT government's economic policy hinges on opening up two gas fields — the offshore Barossa project north of Darwin, and the onshore Beetaloo Basin.
The development of onshore gas in the territory has faced stiff opposition from the first day it was announced, with environmentalists expressing deep concern about the possible impacts of hydraulic fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and the carbon emissions it could unleash.
The NT government gave the green light to fracking in May last year, despite opposition even from within Territory Labor's own ranks.
Despite the change at the top, Ms Lawler says the industry's growth will remain a centrepiece in her government, spruiking the potential benefits it could have in building and upgrading remote schools, clinics and police stations.
"By increasing our own source revenue, by increasing royalties, it means we have more money," she says.
"It means an increase in the population, an increase in GST, it means people are spending money in the territory."
The findings of the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission, released in 2020, said that expansion of the gas industry was necessary to achieve the NT government's long-held goal of a $40 billion economy by 2030.
The NT remains far off — in 2022-23, its gross state product declined by 5 per cent to $30.1 billion. And recent Commsec State of the States reports have consistently ranked the territory last compared to other jurisdictions.
But Ms Lawler remains confident that, with billions of dollars in investment coming into the NT through the Barossa Gas Project and defence project upgrades, along with the existing tourism and agricultural industries, the territory will get over the line.
"These are the things that will build towards that economy," she says.
"Will it be tough? We are hoping to exceed that target, but you have to have those targets."
Experts needed to deal with 'difficult' alcohol issue
Loading...One of the biggest challenges facing the government remains reducing the extraordinary levels of harm caused by alcohol in the Northern Territory.
The end of federal, Intervention-era alcohol restrictions in 2022 — and the NT government's attempt to replace them with opt-in alcohol restrictions — is seen by some as a major driver behind last summer's crime wave in Alice Springs and escalating rates of assaults since.
Changes to the NT's banned drinker register, tougher bail and weapons laws and changes to bottle shop opening hours are among changes made by the government to address crime over the past year.
But despite the policy changes, crime statistics remain stubbornly high.
Ms Lawler says the government's next focus will be the deployment of new technology to track people purchasing large qualities of alcohol and onselling it to those unable to access liquor at bottle shops.
"I see people drinking very early in the morning, before even the bottle shops open, so to me they're accessing alcohol from somebody else," she says.
"We'll be able to get down into that data and look at who are the people who are buying, and whether they are buying illegally."
But Ms Lawler is mindful of reactions to any changes from various stakeholders, such as the hospitality sector and police.
Her comments come several months after the NT government faced backlash from the hospitality industry over kneejerk changes to alcohol policy brought in by her predecessor Natasha Fyles.
"Alcohol and crime are one of those areas where you are constantly having to be agile around your policy position, around the things you do," Ms Lawler says.
"Get the experts in the room, and that's how you can solve some of the issues."
The full interview with NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler will air on Stateline NT at 7pm Friday, February 2.
Stateline NT airs monthly at 7pm on Fridays on ABC TV and iview.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro will appear on the program on Friday, March 1.