Electoral division of Arafura

Arafura Northern Territory—Legislative Assembly
Arafura in the Northern Territory
Territory	Northern Territory
Created	1983
MP	Lawrence Costa
Party	Australian Labor Party
Namesake	Arafura Sea
Electors	4,848 (2016)
Area	156,087 km2 (60,265.5 sq mi)
Demographic	Remote

Arafura is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1983, and takes its name from the Arafura Sea, which adjoins the electorate. The electorate is predominantly rural, encompassing 156,087 square kilometres (60,266 square miles) in western Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands, and including the towns of Oenpelli, Jabiru, Maningrida, Milikapiti and Nguiu. There were 5,477 people enrolled in the electorate as of August 2012.

Arafura was a safe seat for the Australian Labor Party from its inception until 2012, when the seat was won by the Country Liberal Party in a 15 per cent swing. However, Labor regained it as part of its massive victory in 2016. The electorate has a particularly high indigenous population, which has been reflected in its having been represented by five consecutive indigenous MPs.