Former Katherine MLA Mike Reed says the proposal could "result in a negative outcome for RAAF Base Tindal personnel and their families should they no longer feel to be part of the Katherine community".

The Country Liberal Party has also objected to the plan saying it did not like either plan, not wanting to move Tindal or the Venn/Florina areas from the Katherine electorate to Arnhem.

The NT Electoral Commission originally planned to shift 500 people from Florina Road, Binjari and Rockhole and place them in Selena Uibo's Arnhem electorate.

The commission is faced by a problem caused by a local rise in population which requires, by law, more electoral representation.

Trying to find a new home for those extra voters in the Katherine electorate is causing the problems.

Katherine Town Council was told in May the first plan to move voters from Katherine to Arnhem at Binjari and Rockhole was "very divisive".

It was its submission which proposed Tindal instead be moved to Arnhem.

The electoral commission has said it was the council's objection which led it to instead propose to cut Tindal from Katherine.

Now this second plan has also come under fire.

The commission needs to sort out the new boundaries before the next NT election in August next year.

Katherine is currently about 500-600 electors over its enrolment quota and Arnhem is about the same number down.

Former MLA Mr Reed called on the commission to switch back to its first proposal.

He said Tindal voters are general short-term residents posted to Tindal "and as such are more reliant on a community of interest with Katherine in establishing friendships, participating in community clubs and organisations, schooling, shopping and personal needs from health care to vehicle registration and employment opportunities for their partners".

"In my experience since the base became operational in 1987 residents of RAAF Base Tindal are most unlikely to be reliant on or relate to services in the electorate of Arnhem."

Mr Reed said the Victoria Highway/Florina Road communities had long established relationships with businesses in Katherine and Darwin.

"These will continue regardless of which electorate they form part of."

The CLP objected to the Tindal switch in two submissions to the commission.

The CLP's head office said Tindal's residents and voters "continue to contribute to the very social and economic fabric of Katherine".

The CLP said it did not support the town council's proposal.

Writing to the commission on behalf of the Katherine branch of the CLP, Senator Sam McMahon said the branch objected to either Venn and Tindal areas being moved from the Katherine electorate into Arnhem.

"The people living in the Venn are members of the Katherine community with close ties to the township.

"It is where their children attend school, where many work, and where their family and friends live," Senator McMahon said.

"There is no such connection for this population with the electorate of Arnhem.

"The same is true for electors residing in Tindal, Katherine is their service centre. It is the place where their children attend school, they shop, play sport their spouses work and many of their friends and co-workers live. They have absolutely no connection with the rest of the Arnhem electorate."

The ALP also lodged a submission saying it accepted either of the two areas needed to be moved into Arnhem to meet quotas.

The commission says it will now consider the objections to determine if further changes to the Territory's electoral boundaries are required before the final report is published.

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