following the 2004 election outcome, labor held 9 seats, becoming the first majority government in the territory's history. the opposition liberal party held 7 seats, with the greens holding a further one. the liberal numbers in the assembly dropped to six in december 2007 when former shadow treasurer richard mulcahy was expelled from the party and began sitting as an independent. the opposition thus would have needed to win a further three seats, on top of regaining mulcahy's seat, to hold government in its own right.