A dedicated stand-alone department will facilitate the building of thousands of new homes if the Northern Territory government is re-elected.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler announced the restructure on Wednesday, on the eve of caretaker mode, during a leaders debate hosted by the Property Council in Darwin ahead of the August 24 election.
The Territory's housing department is split between two - Industry, Planning and Logistics and Territory Families, Housing and Community - amid criticism in relation to delays over new builds and development approvals.
However, Ms Lawler said it was an exciting time to streamline the process, with the federal government-partnered Northern Territory Housing Alliance to deliver 11,400 new dwellings in the next five years across the social, affordable and private housing sectors.
As new builds in the Territory slow, both major parties have promised grants up to $60,000 for new home owners who want to build.
Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro said the NT was on track to deliver its worst first home-owner build since records began.
“Approval is down to 39 per cent and for Labor to hit its target of more than 11,000 new homes at this rate it will take 31 years,” she said.
She also criticised the government for the Territory’s repeated wooden spoon efforts in the CommSec State of the States report.
“Five and a half years of the (report) telling Territorians they are the worst performing economy in the nation … we know our economy is going backwards.”
Leaders were kept to time by a waiter bell which stifled the theatrics seen during the first debate.
Federal education minister Jason Clare's arrival in Darwin also featured in Ms Lawler's speech as the two prepare to sign a $1 billion agreement to "fully fund public schools" under the National Education partnership announced in May.
"I have pushed hard to get full funding for education," she said.
"Fully funding education will make a substantial difference ... every remote school can have vocational education, they can have training as their focus ... young kids on paid pathways to working in their communities."
Ms Lawler also proudly announced her government was the only one in the country that could deliver a whole new gas industry.
"We've been pushing against the greens to get onshore oil and gas industry developed. I think you would not have got a better outcome with any other government in Australia," she said.
"We have gone from a moratorium to being able to deliver gas to keep our lights on ... that's what you get with a Labor government, absolutely solid, hard work that will develop a brand new industry."
Elsewhere, Ms Finocchiaro doubled down on her party's hardline law and order plan for its first week in government if elected.
"If we win ... we will walk into the chamber and change laws," she said.
"We will give police the powers they need to keep us safe. We will lower the age of criminal responsibility, make breach of bail an offence ... have serious violent offenders start with a position of no bail.
"These are the laws already drafted, ready to go, they can be done quickly."
Ms Finocchiaro also outlined three major reform projects: a revamp of payroll tax; a minister for Asian engagement and trade to rebuild critical relationships with international partners; and a new role called the Territory Co-Ordinator to streamline project approvals.
"We need to change the structure of how we do business in the Territory," she said.
The government will enter caretaker mode on Thursday.
