By ERWIN CHLANDA
Updates 18 March 2020, 11.58am and 3.55pm. See at bottom.
“I got to a crossroads. I’m watching the town crumble around me, people so desperate for hope and strategies to deal with crime.
Left: Mrs Lambley campaigning with Mr Mills when they were both members of the Country Liberal Party in 2012. Much water under the bridge since then.
“I found myself in a position where I couldn’t really make promises and couldn’t deliver as an Independent.”
This is “sole reason” for her decision to join Territory Alliance, says MLA for Araluen Robyn Lambley.
Territory Alliance is led by former Country Liberals Chief Minister and MLA for Blain, Terry Mills. He will join Mrs Lambley at a press conference in Alice Springs this morning.
“We need leadership in the town,” says Mrs Lambley.
“Now I can promise and now I can deliver.”
Her decision means that Territory Alliance will have three members in the Legislative Assembly, more than the official Country Liberal opposition. Former Labor MLA Jeff Collins, Member for Fong Lim, joined the Alliance on 9 March.
UPDATE 18 March 2020, 3.55pm:
Territory Alliance is now the official NT Opposition.
Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley has released a brief statement, saying that the party’s new status has been confirmed by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.
The Opposition leader is Terry Mills, Member for Blain.
Mrs Lambley is Deputy Opposition Leader, while Jeff Collins, Member for Fong Lim, is Leader of Opposition Business and Whip.
PHOTO: Mr Mills and Mrs Lambley earlier today. Photo supplied.
UPDATE 18 March 2020, 11.58am:
Terry Mills has formally made the case to Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Kezia Purick MLA for Territory Alliance to be recognised as the official NT Opposition.
The Alliance is “a fully registered and properly functioning political party”, he writes in the letter to Ms Purick of today’s date, and so meets “the test set down by the NT Solicitor-General in 2018 that we need to have a ‘public commitment to act cooperatively based on aligned ideologies.’”
With the powers provided to her and her office, he says it is Ms Purick’s “role to recognise Territory Alliance as the most numerary alternative party to government and [to] establish our status as the Official NT Opposition.”
As parliament sits next week, Mr Mills suggest it would be “prudent to make the necessary changes ahead of these sittings to allow us to exercise the very important role of NT Opposition within the Parliament with least disruption during that week.”
Those changes include funding arrangements and office relocations.
Vote in Bankrupt NT:
[1] ASP security force
[2] Flood Mitigation
[3] 4 year visas for backpackers under 35 years.
Guarantees required by candidates – not BS promises!
Wonder whether Yingiya Mark Guyula would be interested in joining Territory Alliance?
His proactive and positive ideas have been largely ignored by the arrogance of the current Parliament and government. The party needs to have Aboriginal representation more broadly to be better reflective of the jurisdiction we live in.
Scott McConnell in Braitling? Who else?
TA gotta be a shoo in now.
Watchn – you may be right.
Looking at the voting outcomes in Johnston, it reminded me of what the voters did in Warringah to former PM Abbott last year. Basically they ‘put him out of his misery’, to quote Dennis Shanahan. The highest vote against Abbott was recorded in the traditionally most blue-ribbon booths across the seat. So there was real intent.
Even though Josh Thomas was a decent guy, he was not a strong candidate, and not being able to attract more votes than the Greens candidate speaks volumes. Steven Klose would have won the seat for TA but for the CLP’s efforts to hold onto Opposition status by directing preferences to Labor.
The danger for the CLP is with Gary Higgins retiring they’re effectively seen as having one MLA. Yes, the CLP are in the running for a couple of seats but if the electorate think it’s time to get rid of them, nothing will save the CLP.
Phil – re your comment about Yingiya Mark Guyula – I’ve heard TA have held back because of the volume of resource that would be needed to hold onto the seat in the face of Lynn Walker. What’s the feeling on the ground though? Do they want him to stay on? Four MLAs is better than three.
The real question is will the election be delayed until next year? Labor won’t want to go to an election without the vote from our remote communities.