Lambley broadside: Giles arrogant, dishonest

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p1943-Youth-Centre-Mills-19By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
Member for Araluen Robyn Lambley yesterday fired a broadside at Adam Giles, the Parliamentary leader of her party, with a ferocity that is rare in Territory politics.
 
She was speaking during a motion of no confidence in the Government brought on by the Opposition.
 
Ms Lambley, who was sacked as a Minister and now sits on the back bench, said she would abstain from voting on the motion.
 
But she took the opportunity of presenting her views about the wash-up from the events earlier this month when – as she put it – “nine out of 14 CLP parliamentary wing members voted to have [Mr Giles] removed from the position of Chief Minister”.
 
Ms Lambley said: “I refer to Alice Springs as the centre of the universe, and it is. I love everything about Alice Springs, the people, landscape, opportunities, diversity and lifestyle.”
 
She said the public “either want the leadership instability within government resolved, or they want to go to the polls. Territorians do not want to continue to know our government as a source of jokes and ridicule across the country.
 
“I will always be philosophically aligned with the Country Liberal Party and conservative politics.
 
“I do not have faith in the leadership of Adam Giles. I do not have faith in Adam Giles. Adam Giles was voted out of the position of Chief Minister on 2 February 2015 – just 22 days ago.
 
“His colleagues generally felt he had lost touch with average Territorians, he was arrogant and his general dishonesty was eroding any respect we had for him.
 
“International convention is such that once a government leader has lost the majority support of his or her colleagues, they resign.
 
“We were advised it is unprecedented in the history of Australian political history that a leader not resign under these circumstances.
 
“Adam Giles did not resign. Instead, he threatened he would prefer to bring down our government and take us to an early election, rather than resign and make way for Willem Westra van Holthe to become the new Chief Minister.
 
“His supporters also threatened to bring on an early election. Adam Giles told the Alice Springs CLP Branch meeting on Wednesday, 4 February, that Kezia Purick, Bess Price and David Tollner would all prefer to have an early election than accept Willem Westra van Holthe as the new Chief Minister.
 
“In hindsight maybe that is what we should have done. Perhaps we should have agreed with [them]. I suspect in hindsight they were right. We would not be in this standoff we now find ourselves – a majority of wing members not supporting their Leader.
 
“I have no faith in a government lead by Adam Giles. I have stated publicly I believe Adam Giles has no integrity. I stand by that statement, and that alone is enough to mean he should not hold a position of community leadership.
 
“I believe a political party should be bigger than one person and as such I have not sought to depart from the Country Liberal Party.
 
“Certain members of this government, and even the Federal parliament, do not seem to understand the community expects more from its leaders than getting drunk at topless bars or telling bare-faced lies.
 
“In addition to having no faith in the Chief Minister, I have no faith in the Treasurer and nor do I believe he is an appropriate person to be a leader in our community.”
 
Ms Lambley said “a starting point for Adam Giles is to apologise for the terrible accusations and allegations he made in the Alice Springs Country Liberal Party branch meeting on 4 February 2015.
 
“He defamed and damaged the reputations of myself and many other colleagues. He breached the confidentiality of the parliamentary wing.
 
“He needs to apologise without reservation to the Northern Territory Police Force. He needs to apologise to his colleagues for casting aspersions on our credibility and conduct.
 
“I believe Adam Giles needs to step down from his position and give us all an opportunity to rebuild before we lose everything. Look at what happened in Queensland just a few weeks ago.”
 
During the same debate Independent Gerry Wood, who also abstained from voting on the motion, said: “We are the laughing stock of the nation. We are the most disunited bunch of amateurs that have ever ruled the Territory.
 
“We have set back statehood maybe forever. Everything we do seems to be a mixture of who will win the next election, at what cost.
 
“Should our party reign supreme? Look at me, look at me. Have we forgotten who elected us? It was not the party, it was the people.”
 
PHOTO: Ms Lambley (second from right) in 2012 with former Chief Minister Terry Mills (left) who was deposed by Mr Giles (second from left) while Mr Mills was in Japan on government business.
 
PLEASE NOTE: We are quoting from an uncorrected proof of the daily Hansard.
 
 

14 COMMENTS

  1. The one person who has continually embarrassed and thrown accusations around is you Robyn. What a hypocrite!
    Enough is enough. Go home. Sick of hearing your bleating.

  2. Unfortunately this is largely a name calling exercise without much substance. Examples of actions or words which clearly show a lack of integrity are needed to make a clear case.
    These are not provided.
    It is this lack of rigour and professionalism which reveals the amateurism of our current politicians.

  3. Well done Robyn, hold your head high. From the start of the year, you are the only member that has consistently said and done what you believe in.
    It is important to add that what you have said and done, is the sediment of us the public. Great to have you back home.
    Leave the rest to fight over who has the biggest bucket – when they should be paling the water out of the ship.
    It’s well and truly past half way sinking now and not recoverable. Will this so-called Captain go down with this the ship – or will he abandon it like the coward from the Italian Cruise company. Time will tell.

  4. Don’t know who is right and who is wrong in all this argy bargy.
    Quoting Hansard is unhelpful for readers as we all know whatever is said by MLAs is privileged.
    I note that the Alice Springs News Online was careful to use quotes from Hansard so as to cover itself.
    If indeed the CM has defamed the Member for Araluen at a meeting as described, and the Member for Araluen is confident that is the case, she should sue the CM.
    And as readers, we will know what the truth is when the court rules on that.
    Disunity is death in politics … and sure as hell the Country Liberals are not united.
    Looking in from a distance, the CM and his supporters played hardball. The others did not. They capitulated and fell in line.
    The way I read it, the majority of the CL members supported the current CM. Accordingly all CL members should follow the majority decision.

  5. All this discussion about “honesty,” “integrity” and “the interests of Territorians” – does anybody grasp just how damaging this unrest is and continues to be for business investment in the Territory?
    While professing to have the community interests at heart, does Robyn realize that this behavior has put some enormously important projects at risk while investors dither over investing into such an unstable political environment?
    Alice Springs business, particularly the building industry, is struggling for survival, doing their utmost to attract and hold new investment.
    People are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, sometimes their homes, and yet Robyn is telling us that somehow her personal angst against a good number of colleagues, not just Adam Giles, is somehow a good enough reason to put everything at risk?
    Robyn spruiks honesty, are her actions the actions she promised the party? Her electorate?
    Robyn along with all our politicians needs to grasp the community expectation of those privileged to serve as MLAs, namely that the community has a rightful expectation that out of a sense of duty MLAs will put aside petty personal dislikes, jealousies and ambitions in the interests of providing the Territory with a respectful, mature, stable and productive government.
    In fact we don’t bloody care about their personal dislikes, trials and tribulations, they are expected to suck it up and get on with the job. Show some decorum! Some Professionalism!
    Work at working with others for the Territory’s sake. And if they can’t find it within themselves to do that, do us all a favor and do the proverbial – make way for somebody who can.

  6. Minister, you apologized to your branch yet forgot the rest of the Territory. You are a two faced, self centered, lying woman who has now shown how low she can go by siding with Alison and Larrisa.
    Please don’t associate Alice Springs in your crocodile tear statements because we are seeing through you these days.
    Four and a half years is all it has taken for you to destroy a party with personal motives and agendas. Congratulations, because that’s your only accomplishment.
    Come clean and declare you are going to run as an independent next election in alignment with Eli, Alison and Larrisa.
    Step aside and let someone who really does care for the party and the people have ago. Couldn’t stuff it up as much as you have.

  7. It’s a real shame that you have squandered the opportunity to represent the people of Alice in a constructive manner, Robyn. I must admit I voted for you in the last election with hope in my heart that you would do great things for this town.
    All I have seen and heard from you since that time has saddened me, because you seem to have been hell bent on disruption and the destruction of your own party.
    Could you please explain to me what is it that is making you so bitter? Perhaps it’s time to chill out for a while and think of the reason you entered politics in the first place.

  8. @ Alice Springs Local: Nasty nasty ASL – are you a local or being around for a while to know the politics of the Territory or of The Alice – if not then you should be the one to “Go Home and stop your bleating”.
    For all said and done – Robyn has the balls to stand up to Giles UNLIKE the others; perhaps they don’t have the thick hide she has or crumble under his tactics of divide and conquer.
    Where is Alison Anderson in all of this – sitting still and watching the disintegration of the party; where I am sitting here in Rockhampton, Giles’s antics leave the path clear for the ALP to return to power and then the blame game will surely start.
    The Territory I grew up in (back in the 1950’s onwards) under Everingham would never had stood for this – but then again the CLP were disciplined and not full of wannabes, lawyers, no-hoppers and unionists along with generational children following in their mother’s footsteps.

  9. Hey, Steve, ever think Alice Springs businesses are struggling for survival BECAUSE we are saddled with a so called leader who is totally self interested and does nothing for the town and people that actually voted him in?
    Are you happy he doesn’t bother to even show up in town for months on end?
    I totally agree with your last statement – make way for someone who can. Seeya later, Adam.

  10. What a toxic soup our NT government is!
    Congratulations Robyn Lambley for speaking out. I consider it a privilege to live in your electorate. I voted for you last time and will again in a heartbeat if you stand.
    Adam Giles – before the Kevin 07 election a ute appeared in front of council chambers with a sign reading, “John Howard – Time to go, digger. The dogs are pissing on your swag.” Please consider.

  11. Look at me! Look at me! Says it all.
    Robyn is a woman scorned and therefore must have the last word … so make it the last!
    Robyn didn’t cope well with the HUGE number of portfolios given to her by her mate Mills so Giles did the right thing and took over her burden.
    Robyn didn’t manage to roll Giles because she and her mates can’t count.
    This last outburst is aimed at damaging her own party as badly as possible.
    If you can’t support your own party, Robyn, why do you think you have a right to remain as member for your electorate?

  12. Wow, all I can say is I do have faith in Robyn Lambley. She’s worked hard for Territorians and our electorate of Araluen.

  13. I’m with you Robyn. After 33 years of loyal CLP following, I cannot go on. The integrity has been lost. The three turning points for me were:
    1. Kilgarriff. The opportunity cost of this will be enormous. With China having cleaned out much of S.E. Asia of cattle and much of Indonesia and still wanting 800,000 tonnes a year at prices up to $4.50/kg (we are currently getting around $2.50) we continue to cover a vital research facility which could contribute to meeting this demand, with overpriced houses to sell to each other.
    We were conned and if I was a beef producer I would be incensed at the loss of potential income through politically expedient short term thinking. All of this was foreseeable but ignored – probably due to self interest of the realestate industry and their CLP support.
    2 The TIO debacle. No-one can convince me that a complex commercial sale like that can be consummated in the time frame stated. The spin was so obvious. It was all sealed well in advance of the announcement – perhaps even a year, but we were never told, again because there might be embarrassing objections raised. To me that is deceit.
    3. The proposed gas line east. Great concept first proposed by the 1970s Labor Government (Rex Connor, and financed by a well known International arms dealer) NOT Adam’s great plan, as portrayed.
    Again the decision to go via the Simpson has already been made but not disclosed to hide controversy. Otherwise why would the Government spend a few million $ on the road East of Santa Teresa?
    In the meantime the poor people in Tennant are to-ing and fro-ing to Mt Isa trying to get their town on the map again via the pipeline proposal there.
    What is so obvious is that the TC route should be the basis of a new corridor into the NT for gas, rail and a feeder electricity systems at some time in the future, just as happens in the southern states. Then we could be supplying not just gas but gas produced electricity east in 30 years’ time as well as an alternative rail corridor.
    Again to me this is plain deceit, and short term thinking for political benefit only, and not in the best long term interests of the NT.
    This is why next election I will be voting for you Robyn because I believe your interests and integrity are genuine, and above the self interest of party politics, but I will not be voting CLP.

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