Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now it's time for a big shakeup of the Northern
Territory Electoral Commission and the democratic process in the Northern Territory.
Those are the words of Robin Lamley, the Independent Member
Forarara lun after the NT Electoral Commission confirmed on Friday
that the twenty twenty three NT electoral boundary redistribution would
be delayed. In a statement, the Electoral Commission confirmed that
(00:23):
the final report for the twenty twenty three NT electoral
boundary Redistribution, which was scheduled for release this month, has
been delayed due to an administrative oversight. The oversight relates
to notices for the redistribution process not being gazetted as
required under section one hundred and thirty seven of the
(00:43):
Electoral Act of two thousand and four. Now, legal advice
provided by the Solicitor for the Northern Territory confirmed the
redistribution process must begin again for the redistribution to be lawful.
Now joining me on the line is Robin Lamley, the
Member four Gara lun Hi.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Robin, Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Now, Robin, the process was due to be finalized later
these months. What do you make of this delay?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Well, this is startling really, this process only happens every
four years, always twelve to eighteen months out from a
Northern Territory general election, and the next one, of course
is in August twenty twenty four. So this process started
(01:32):
seven months ago. It takes seven months, or it has
taken seven months. And to hear the news on Friday
afternoon that they've bungled it, messed it up and the
whole thing has to start again is just gobsmacking really,
and to me it's a sign of bigger problems in
(01:52):
the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, Katie. They've been struggling on
a very tight and minimal budget for a long time.
They've cut their services. We've seen very very low go
to turnout in pretty much all elections over the last three,
four or five years. And to top it off, they're
(02:13):
now not being able to execute a process which is
very very clear it's a legal process. It says to
me that there's problems and it's not just about the
staff that are in the end to the Electoral Commission.
It's about the Northern Territory government, I think failing to
really back and support democracy in the Northern Territory. I
(02:34):
think it's a huge issue, Katie, the huge issue.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We have put in a request to see if we're
able to get the Northern Territory Electoral Commissioner on the
show for tomorrow morning, so we'll certainly follow that up, Robin.
You know, there's going to be a lot of people
listening this morning whose eyes might be glazing over a
little bit as they think about a boundary redistribution and
kind of thinking to themselves, well, what does this even
mean to me? Yeah, of course, why is this such
(02:58):
a concern.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So boundaries are very important to politicians because it's about
who your voters are and where they're located. So every
four years the Electoral Commission undertakes this really in depth
and controversial process of looking at the number of voters
(03:22):
and where they are and the boundaries, and it's all
about how many who is enrolled to vote and where
they live. And sometimes this redistribution process can mean electorates
can change profoundly, almost completely in some cases in the past.
(03:43):
So in my case in Ala Springs, they've just about
completed the process that they've bungled up and their recommendation
was to not change it. But I know that some
seats in Darwin, and I can't even name them because
I don't much notice of what's going on up there
as long as they leave me alone. But I know
that there's for example, Malka, not your Norlan boy. They've
(04:04):
recommended profound changes to that electorate and given now that
they have to start the whole process again of looking
at this, and it's really high level. You've got the
Order to General on the committee, the Electoral Commissioner Ian Logan,
Ethan the Surveyor General, and the chair is a judge.
(04:25):
So it's very high level, very controversial, and they have
to start the whole process again. So we're looking at
possibly not knowing where the electoral boundaries will fit prior
to the next election, up until maybe even March if
it takes another seven months. So this is I know
you're right. Most people are probably thinking what's she on about?
(04:46):
But this is politically very very important and it should
be important for most territories in terms of where they sit,
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Knowing who they're voting for, to knowing which which are
lecture they're actually falling into.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, one day you could be an the electorate of
song Limb and the next the next day it could
be Fanny Bay for example. So although it's sort of
all very high level of bureaucratic, it does affect us
all and the fact that people aren't voting. I mean,
up in Darwin you had that recent local government by
(05:23):
election with the voter turn that was less than fifty percent.
I mean, this all tells a story of problems within
the Electoral Commission and problems with our democratic process.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Robin, do you think that there needs to do? You
think they need additional funding, What do you think needs
to happen here?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, in estimates in June, which is the two weeks
that we have to pick the brains out of ministers
and senior bureaucrats, we were told this year and last
year by Ian Logernathan that they don't have the funds
to do what they need to do. Basically in Alice
Rings they shut the Electoral Commission shopfront about three years ago,
(06:05):
and we don't have a permanent presence of the Electoral
Commission in Central Australia at all anymore. So you know
you have to extrapolate and say, well, maybe that's the
reason why a lot of people aren't voting because they
don't think about it. The Electoral Commission is really stretched
and pressed to do what they need to do in
terms of getting people to enroll, and people just aren't enrolling.
(06:29):
I mean, in the last federal election, Lingiari, which is
a massive electorate, had the lowest voter turnout in the country.
So you know, they've bungled this electoral redistribution process which
could take another seven months. But there's all sorts of
other problems Katie, within our voting system, our electoral system,
(06:50):
which need to be looked at, and I think it's
of national interest. I think it's something. You know, we're
looking at a referendum in a couple of weeks for
giving Aboriginal people of voice, and we know, and we've
known for years that Aboriginal people aren't voting. So it's
all a part of a pretty grim picture. And I
think it's time to have an independent inquiry and a
(07:14):
shakeup into what's happening in this space, because if you
can't even conduct an electoral redistribution process that only happens
four years correctly. I think these guys, these people, this
agency anti government agency is under enormous pressure and this
is just a reflection I think of bigger problems.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So Robin, you reckon there needs to be an independent
inquiry into the Northern Territory Electoral Commission following on from
what's happened.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Absolutely. I think for me, I've been observing there in
logger eate and cops my questions in estimates every year.
Electoral commissioner, he's been in that job for many years now.
He cops the same sort of questions from me every
year in budget estimates and whenever I can get here
at other times about what the hell is going on?
(08:07):
You know, we don't have a presence in Central Australia.
People aren't voting. This is very very clear. It's not changing,
it's probably getting worse. And now on top of it,
we hear that you've bungled this very very controversial and
important process. Well, times are well, we need to have
(08:29):
a look at this. And I think it's very interesting,
Katie that not many other politicians are talking about this.
Why isn't the opposition coming out and slamming this and
drawing the conclusions I'm drawing. I just un bewildered. I
think it's just it's such a big issue democracy in
the Northern Territory. We need to be talking about it, Katie.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well, Robin, we will make sure we certainly, Like I say,
we've put in a request to have the Northern Territory
Electoral Commissioner on the show tomorrow, and I do think
it is certainly something worth talking about. Before I let
you go though, this morning, I do want to just
ask you about a couple of things. Firstly, we know
that there was a fatality in Alice Springs overnight. Is
(09:12):
there much further detail that you have at this point?
As I understand, it was a pedestrian who was killed
in a crash outside the hospital.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
It is, Katie, and I haven't been able to extract
much more information than what you've just said. A woman
was killed at around nine o'clock last night outside the hospital.
I guess what was eerie for me and a lot
of locals hearing this is that a couple of years ago,
outside the hospital, a woman was run over by a car.
(09:43):
That car was driven by her partner. So it's just
a bit eerie and uncomfortable and tragic that we now
have a second person killed within meetings of this other
woman that was killed out the front of the hospital
a few years years ago. So you know, it's just
it just rolls on down here, Katie. What happened? I mean,
(10:08):
why was this woman bowled over by a car last night?
We don't know, and the police will get to the
bottom of it. But I just hope it's not a
similar scenario to what we saw unfolded a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I certainly hope so as well.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Rabunja her name was. She was a local Aboriginal woman
in Alice Springs and that's been the center of a
controversial coronial in quest. As you know, women dying at
the hands of their partners through domestic violence. I just
hope it's not a scenario like that. It probably isn't,
but you know, just sort of run a bell, same location,
(10:46):
almost exactly the same location.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Well, again, we will try and keep our listeners up
to date with any of that info. Robin. One last
thing before I let you go. We also know that
the Chief Minister is currently over in the US on
that trip with one staff member to the cost of
the taxpayer at ninety two thousand dollars, meeting with defense
officials and various other meetings. Now, we also learned yesterday
(11:11):
through questioning that I'd put to the Deputy Chief ministeron
Nicole Madison that additional public servants are also on that trip.
It has now been confirmed it was two additional public servants.
We've not been able to find out to what cost
at this point in time. I mean public do our
(11:31):
politicians need to be more open and transparent here about
who's going on these trips and how much they're costing.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Well, if they're not, they run the risk of it
all coming out at some stage and then looking like
they've tried to hide it. The best policy when you're
in government is to be as upfront and as honest
as you can about pretty much everything, well about everything,
So if they're not giving the full details, then you
know they're just being playing stupid. Look. I don't have
(12:03):
a problem with ministers traveling overseas if it's in the
best interest of the Northern Territory, and these days it
costs a lot of money. I was a minister for
a couple of years in the former Colp government. I
did a bit of traveling and you know it's come
back to bite me on me on the bum because
it's been spun in a way that made it look
like it was futile and self indulgent in all the
(12:25):
rest of it. These things are usually only about work
and they cost money, and you don't go because you
on a holiday. You go because there's some particular reason
or you know, it's for the greater good of the
Northern territory. So whilst I'm reluctant to defend display your
ministers traveling, I get the fact that they had to.
(12:46):
But I think it's a bit rich when they turn
around then and criticize the former Celpa government for going
on similar trips to what they're doing now. I mean,
I you know, years ago, I went on a trip
to Singapore. It was about tourism and horse racing, and
it coincided with the Singapore Cup, which was a part
of the whole sort of meeting schedule. I went on
(13:08):
a trip around multiple hospitals and that costs in the
range of almost ten thousand dollars at the time. I
read that Eva Laula went on a three day trip
to Singapore and it cost forty six thousand dollars recently,
so you know, I've been. I was absolutely hauled over
the coals and continue to be for that trip years ago,
(13:29):
over ten years ago. Whereas I read about evil Lula
going on her trip and I thought, well, that's what
it costs. She would have gone for business purposes, not
because she wanted to spend three or four days in Singapore. So,
you know, whilst I understand why these things happen, I
don't accept the fact that people turn around and then
(13:51):
throw stones at other people doing the same thing years ago.
You have to travel when you're a minister. It is
in the best interest of the Northern Territory that you
have strong international relationships and that's all there is to it.
But do try and hide it, Katie.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, well that's exactly right. Be honest and upfront right
from the get go. Robin Lamley, the Independent member Ferrara
Lum will leave it there for this morning. Good to
speak with you. Thanks so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Thanks Katie, thank you
Now it's time for a big shakeup of the Northern
Territory Electoral Commission and the democratic process in the Northern Territory.
Those are the words of Robin Lamley, the Independent Member
Forarara lun after the NT Electoral Commission confirmed on Friday
that the twenty twenty three NT electoral boundary redistribution would
be delayed. In a statement, the Electoral Commission confirmed that
(00:23):
the final report for the twenty twenty three NT electoral
boundary Redistribution, which was scheduled for release this month, has
been delayed due to an administrative oversight. The oversight relates
to notices for the redistribution process not being gazetted as
required under section one hundred and thirty seven of the
(00:43):
Electoral Act of two thousand and four. Now, legal advice
provided by the Solicitor for the Northern Territory confirmed the
redistribution process must begin again for the redistribution to be lawful.
Now joining me on the line is Robin Lamley, the
Member four Gara lun Hi.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Robin, Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Now, Robin, the process was due to be finalized later
these months. What do you make of this delay?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Well, this is startling really, this process only happens every
four years, always twelve to eighteen months out from a
Northern Territory general election, and the next one, of course
is in August twenty twenty four. So this process started
(01:32):
seven months ago. It takes seven months, or it has
taken seven months. And to hear the news on Friday
afternoon that they've bungled it, messed it up and the
whole thing has to start again is just gobsmacking really,
and to me it's a sign of bigger problems in
(01:52):
the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, Katie. They've been struggling on
a very tight and minimal budget for a long time.
They've cut their services. We've seen very very low go
to turnout in pretty much all elections over the last three,
four or five years. And to top it off, they're
(02:13):
now not being able to execute a process which is
very very clear it's a legal process. It says to
me that there's problems and it's not just about the
staff that are in the end to the Electoral Commission.
It's about the Northern Territory government, I think failing to
really back and support democracy in the Northern Territory. I
(02:34):
think it's a huge issue, Katie, the huge issue.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We have put in a request to see if we're
able to get the Northern Territory Electoral Commissioner on the
show for tomorrow morning, so we'll certainly follow that up, Robin.
You know, there's going to be a lot of people
listening this morning whose eyes might be glazing over a
little bit as they think about a boundary redistribution and
kind of thinking to themselves, well, what does this even
mean to me? Yeah, of course, why is this such
(02:58):
a concern.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So boundaries are very important to politicians because it's about
who your voters are and where they're located. So every
four years the Electoral Commission undertakes this really in depth
and controversial process of looking at the number of voters
(03:22):
and where they are and the boundaries, and it's all
about how many who is enrolled to vote and where
they live. And sometimes this redistribution process can mean electorates
can change profoundly, almost completely in some cases in the past.
(03:43):
So in my case in Ala Springs, they've just about
completed the process that they've bungled up and their recommendation
was to not change it. But I know that some
seats in Darwin, and I can't even name them because
I don't much notice of what's going on up there
as long as they leave me alone. But I know
that there's for example, Malka, not your Norlan boy. They've
(04:04):
recommended profound changes to that electorate and given now that
they have to start the whole process again of looking
at this, and it's really high level. You've got the
Order to General on the committee, the Electoral Commissioner Ian Logan,
Ethan the Surveyor General, and the chair is a judge.
(04:25):
So it's very high level, very controversial, and they have
to start the whole process again. So we're looking at
possibly not knowing where the electoral boundaries will fit prior
to the next election, up until maybe even March if
it takes another seven months. So this is I know
you're right. Most people are probably thinking what's she on about?
(04:46):
But this is politically very very important and it should
be important for most territories in terms of where they sit,
you know.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Knowing who they're voting for, to knowing which which are
lecture they're actually falling into.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, one day you could be an the electorate of
song Limb and the next the next day it could
be Fanny Bay for example. So although it's sort of
all very high level of bureaucratic, it does affect us
all and the fact that people aren't voting. I mean,
up in Darwin you had that recent local government by
(05:23):
election with the voter turn that was less than fifty percent.
I mean, this all tells a story of problems within
the Electoral Commission and problems with our democratic process.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Robin, do you think that there needs to do? You
think they need additional funding, What do you think needs
to happen here?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, in estimates in June, which is the two weeks
that we have to pick the brains out of ministers
and senior bureaucrats, we were told this year and last
year by Ian Logernathan that they don't have the funds
to do what they need to do. Basically in Alice
Rings they shut the Electoral Commission shopfront about three years ago,
(06:05):
and we don't have a permanent presence of the Electoral
Commission in Central Australia at all anymore. So you know
you have to extrapolate and say, well, maybe that's the
reason why a lot of people aren't voting because they
don't think about it. The Electoral Commission is really stretched
and pressed to do what they need to do in
terms of getting people to enroll, and people just aren't enrolling.
(06:29):
I mean, in the last federal election, Lingiari, which is
a massive electorate, had the lowest voter turnout in the country.
So you know, they've bungled this electoral redistribution process which
could take another seven months. But there's all sorts of
other problems Katie, within our voting system, our electoral system,
(06:50):
which need to be looked at, and I think it's
of national interest. I think it's something. You know, we're
looking at a referendum in a couple of weeks for
giving Aboriginal people of voice, and we know, and we've
known for years that Aboriginal people aren't voting. So it's
all a part of a pretty grim picture. And I
think it's time to have an independent inquiry and a
(07:14):
shakeup into what's happening in this space, because if you
can't even conduct an electoral redistribution process that only happens
four years correctly. I think these guys, these people, this
agency anti government agency is under enormous pressure and this
is just a reflection I think of bigger problems.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So Robin, you reckon there needs to be an independent
inquiry into the Northern Territory Electoral Commission following on from
what's happened.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Absolutely. I think for me, I've been observing there in
logger eate and cops my questions in estimates every year.
Electoral commissioner, he's been in that job for many years now.
He cops the same sort of questions from me every
year in budget estimates and whenever I can get here
at other times about what the hell is going on?
(08:07):
You know, we don't have a presence in Central Australia.
People aren't voting. This is very very clear. It's not changing,
it's probably getting worse. And now on top of it,
we hear that you've bungled this very very controversial and
important process. Well, times are well, we need to have
(08:29):
a look at this. And I think it's very interesting,
Katie that not many other politicians are talking about this.
Why isn't the opposition coming out and slamming this and
drawing the conclusions I'm drawing. I just un bewildered. I
think it's just it's such a big issue democracy in
the Northern Territory. We need to be talking about it, Katie.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well, Robin, we will make sure we certainly, Like I say,
we've put in a request to have the Northern Territory
Electoral Commissioner on the show tomorrow, and I do think
it is certainly something worth talking about. Before I let
you go though, this morning, I do want to just
ask you about a couple of things. Firstly, we know
that there was a fatality in Alice Springs overnight. Is
(09:12):
there much further detail that you have at this point?
As I understand, it was a pedestrian who was killed
in a crash outside the hospital.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
It is, Katie, and I haven't been able to extract
much more information than what you've just said. A woman
was killed at around nine o'clock last night outside the hospital.
I guess what was eerie for me and a lot
of locals hearing this is that a couple of years ago,
outside the hospital, a woman was run over by a car.
(09:43):
That car was driven by her partner. So it's just
a bit eerie and uncomfortable and tragic that we now
have a second person killed within meetings of this other
woman that was killed out the front of the hospital
a few years years ago. So you know, it's just
it just rolls on down here, Katie. What happened? I mean,
(10:08):
why was this woman bowled over by a car last night?
We don't know, and the police will get to the
bottom of it. But I just hope it's not a
similar scenario to what we saw unfolded a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I certainly hope so as well.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Rabunja her name was. She was a local Aboriginal woman
in Alice Springs and that's been the center of a
controversial coronial in quest. As you know, women dying at
the hands of their partners through domestic violence. I just
hope it's not a scenario like that. It probably isn't,
but you know, just sort of run a bell, same location,
(10:46):
almost exactly the same location.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Well, again, we will try and keep our listeners up
to date with any of that info. Robin. One last
thing before I let you go. We also know that
the Chief Minister is currently over in the US on
that trip with one staff member to the cost of
the taxpayer at ninety two thousand dollars, meeting with defense
officials and various other meetings. Now, we also learned yesterday
(11:11):
through questioning that I'd put to the Deputy Chief ministeron
Nicole Madison that additional public servants are also on that trip.
It has now been confirmed it was two additional public servants.
We've not been able to find out to what cost
at this point in time. I mean public do our
(11:31):
politicians need to be more open and transparent here about
who's going on these trips and how much they're costing.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Well, if they're not, they run the risk of it
all coming out at some stage and then looking like
they've tried to hide it. The best policy when you're
in government is to be as upfront and as honest
as you can about pretty much everything, well about everything,
So if they're not giving the full details, then you
know they're just being playing stupid. Look. I don't have
(12:03):
a problem with ministers traveling overseas if it's in the
best interest of the Northern Territory, and these days it
costs a lot of money. I was a minister for
a couple of years in the former Colp government. I
did a bit of traveling and you know it's come
back to bite me on me on the bum because
it's been spun in a way that made it look
like it was futile and self indulgent in all the
(12:25):
rest of it. These things are usually only about work
and they cost money, and you don't go because you
on a holiday. You go because there's some particular reason
or you know, it's for the greater good of the
Northern territory. So whilst I'm reluctant to defend display your
ministers traveling, I get the fact that they had to.
(12:46):
But I think it's a bit rich when they turn
around then and criticize the former Celpa government for going
on similar trips to what they're doing now. I mean,
I you know, years ago, I went on a trip
to Singapore. It was about tourism and horse racing, and
it coincided with the Singapore Cup, which was a part
of the whole sort of meeting schedule. I went on
(13:08):
a trip around multiple hospitals and that costs in the
range of almost ten thousand dollars at the time. I
read that Eva Laula went on a three day trip
to Singapore and it cost forty six thousand dollars recently,
so you know, I've been. I was absolutely hauled over
the coals and continue to be for that trip years ago,
(13:29):
over ten years ago. Whereas I read about evil Lula
going on her trip and I thought, well, that's what
it costs. She would have gone for business purposes, not
because she wanted to spend three or four days in Singapore. So,
you know, whilst I understand why these things happen, I
don't accept the fact that people turn around and then
(13:51):
throw stones at other people doing the same thing years ago.
You have to travel when you're a minister. It is
in the best interest of the Northern Territory that you
have strong international relationships and that's all there is to it.
But do try and hide it, Katie.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, well that's exactly right. Be honest and upfront right
from the get go. Robin Lamley, the Independent member Ferrara
Lum will leave it there for this morning. Good to
speak with you. Thanks so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Thanks Katie, thank you
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