Ken Parish briefly held the seat after Smith's retirement, but was defeated by the CLP's Phil Mitchell in 1994, in a result tarred by claims of push-polling over native title issues.
Mitchell held the seat for two terms, but was defeated in the closest and most crucial battle of the 2001 election by ALP challenger Matthew Bonson.
Despite a massive and unexpected Labor wave that swept through Darwin—particularly the more diverse and Labor-friendly northern portion—the result in Millner was not known for several days.
Due to the close general result, Millner would have the effect of deciding whether there would be a hung parliament, with independents holding the balance of power, or whether the ALP would win government for the first time in Northern Territory history.
In the end, Bonson won a very narrow victory, allowing Labor to sweep northern Darwin and form government by one seat.