But the government is keeping its powder dry ahead of a redistribution tipped to reduce the NT's seats from two to one.

NT Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy introduced a bill to parliament on Thursday to lock in the status quo, with the support of all five upper house Nationals.

Government Senate leader Mathias Cormann said political parties, parliamentarians and voters would be able to make submissions about the redistribution.

"It is premature to speculate about hypothetical outcomes of an electoral redistribution process yet to be undertaken independently by the Australian Electoral Commission," he told AAP.

The AEC will not start the process before July 3, with boundaries to be decided before the next election.

Senator Cormann said the government would work with the electoral parliamentary committee to consider if laws were needed after the redistribution.

NT Nationals senator Sam McMahon backed the Labor bill.

"I'm fully supportive of sticking up for the territory," she told AAP.

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce urged the government to draw a line in the sand.

"We have this absurdity of so few people representing such a wide land mass," the former deputy prime minister told parliament.

"We would have one seat representing approximately 200,000 people."

The redistribution is required to keep seats of roughly equal enrolment size within a state or territory.

Victoria is expected to gain a seat while WA would join the NT in losing one, with the number of lower house seats reduced in total from 151 to 150.

Labor MP Luke Gosling, who holds the NT seat of Solomon, has written to the prime minister calling for his support.

"It's unconscionable that the Northern Territory's representation in the House of Representatives could be halved," he told AAP.

Labor holds both NT seats.

Australian Associated Press