Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accuses Coalition of working to 'restrict people voting' in NT

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a blistering attack on the Coalition, accusing the previous federal government of working to "restrict" voting in the Northern Territory.

Albanese was speaking at a press conference in Darwin this morning when he was asked about the all-time low voting rate in the seat of Lingiari.

Just over 66 per cent of potential Lingiari voters cast a ballot in the May federal election - meaning a full third of voters did not.

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Albanese claimed the previous government had "ripped resources" out of the Australian Electoral Commission.

"There was a deliberate policy of the former government to restrict people voting in the Territory," he said.

"They restricted the numbers of people who were working for the Australian Electoral Commission to get people on the roll. This was straight out of the right-wing Republican playbook."

Albanese said there had also been a lack of resources to enable people in the electorate to vote.

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"It was an outrage what occurred," he said.

"The fact that 66 per cent of people voted means that one in three people in the electorate of Lingiari didn't get to vote.

"That was a part of the former government's design. It wasn't by accident. And they should be held to account for it."

Albanese said he would be reviewing the matter with the AEC.

Labor candidate Marion Scrymgour claimed victory in the seat, which covers most of the NT besides the Darwin area, at the election.

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An AEC spokesperson said under a new "partnership" model to promote voter enrolment among Indigenous Australians, the voter roll had grown in recent years.

"We're very pleased with that recent growth in the roll but of course, like everyone else, are not satisfied and will be working hard to continue to close the gap to the broader roll," the spokesperson said.

"Likewise, we've worked really hard to conduct remote mobile polling - an incredibly challenging and complex logistical operation. The turnout rate in Lingiari does look like it will be slightly lower than 2019 and that is disappointing.

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"As with all aspects of the election, we'll be reviewing NT and Indigenous participation very closely, and applying additional efforts to encourage democratic engagement.

"We very much look forward to helping to drive participation rates up higher moving towards future election events."

Nine.com.au has also contacted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's office for comment.