NT's deputy opposition leader dumped for new recruit

Fri 19 Jun 2026 at 9:35am

Fri 19 Jun 2026 at 9:35am

In short:

Territory Labor has replaced Deputy Opposition Leader Dheran Young with newcomer Ed Smelt.

Mr Young says he is "deeply disappointed" by the move and has also stood down from his shadow responsibilities.

What's next?

Opposition Leader Selena Uibo says they hope to win back the trust and confidence of the people of Darwin.

The Northern Territory Labor Party has dumped their deputy opposition leader, replacing him with a newcomer to parliament.

Labor leader Selena Uibo last night announced Member for Nightcliff Ed Smelt would take over the position from Dheran Young.

Mr Young, who has been the Member for Daly since 2021, labelled the move as "deeply disappointing" in a social media post last night.

"This is a decision I am deeply disappointed by and one that I wish had not occurred," he wrote.

"I have always been clear about the direction I believe our party needs to take, the values we must stand for and the reforms needed to make Labor stronger."

As well as deputy leader, Mr Young held 10 portfolios, including environment and Aboriginal affairs, which he said he would relinquish.

"After some time out bush, I will continue working to strengthen the party and help drive it in the right direction," he wrote in the post.

Party not in crisis

In an interview with ABC Radio Darwin this morning, Ms Uibo acknowledged and thanked Mr Young for his work as her deputy, and denied the party was in crisis.

"This is not a personal decision at all … there was a caucus and Ed Smelt was elected as deputy opposition leader," she said.

"We've had contact [with Mr Young], we haven't spoken, but we're a team and continue to do the job Territorians want us to do."

She said they hoped the move would win back the trust and confidence of the people of Darwin as the party looked ahead to the 2028 election.

"As a newly elected member of the Territory Opposition team, Ed brings a renewed focus on winning back the trust and confidence of the people of Darwin and the wider Territory," Ms Uibo said.

Mr Smelt was elected in March after the NT's only elected Greens member, Kat McNamara, resigned for health reasons.

Mr Smelt is a former civil engineer and City of Darwin councillor.

His election brought Labor's seats in the NT parliament to five.