September 4, 2024 • 15 mins
Earlier this week the Labor Party announced Selina Uibo would take the important role. Derhan Young will be the Deputy, with the small opposition receiving the resources and funding to officially hold the Government to account.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Earlier this week the Labor Party in ount Selena Rubo
would take the important role of opposition leader. Duran Young
is set to be the deputy, with the small opposition
receiving resources and funding to officially hold the government to account.
Now joining us on the line is Robin Lamley, the
Independent member Farara lun Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Robin, Good morning, Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Robin. You took to social media earlier in the week
to congratulate the new opposition leader, but also cautioned that
it is a role which comes with great responsibility.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I did, Katie. I've been observing the former Labor government,
the former Labor ministers now for eight years, quite closely,
and like Selena, many of them I think were taking
the mickey out of the position. They a lot of
them had small children. They carried their children throughout their
(00:56):
time as ministers, gave birth to children and looked after
small children, and that's lovely in itself. I think what
I observe is that a lot of them worked part
time as ministers on huge incomes, and I really believe
(01:17):
that that's one of the reasons why they failed in government,
because they weren't one hundred percent dedicated to their position.
They tried to do what is not just a full
time job as a twenty four to seven job part time,
and you could see that they had their children with
(01:38):
them at different events. Lauren Moss was another obvious person
who did that a lot. I remember she traveled down
to Alice Springs a few years ago and took her
little child around two different meetings and agency visits. And
it just doesn't work, Katie. And you know, I'm probably
(02:00):
sounding like a fifty nine year old bit sort of
out a date, but I do have a very strong
work ethic and I always judge people by the people
that we employ in our shop, in our friends. And
they can't take their kids to work, well, and I can't.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I think that's a good point to make.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
It's inconvenient. They have to find childcare arrangements for their
children and they have to work full time like most Australians.
So I think Labor have done the wrong thing there
and amongst all sorts of other things that they're Yeah, well,
I think wonder how Selena is going to manage.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I think that's I think that's a good point to make, Robin,
because look I'm listening and I'm thinking, oh, shit, I've
had to, you know, like I've had to drag my
kids around two different things over the years, as I
know that, you know, and and you know, they've had
to come into work at different times. I can recall
days when, you know, when my eldest was quite young,
you know, doing an interview with the Chief Minister and
seeing a swinging around on the chair and the studio
(03:01):
behind and thinking, oh my goodness, I can't believe I've
had to bring it to work, you know. And it's
always a last resort for me. They're older now, but
it's always the last resort for me, as I know
it is for a lot of parents. So you know,
I know there'll be some people listening this morning who
are thinking, oh, come on, Robin, you know that's what
some of us have to do in terms of juggling.
But we are talking about.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, yeah, but I have to ask you facetiously, are
you on two hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a
year definitely not afford if you are to organize childcare
and sort it out. Yeah. I'm definitely not a little
bit different here, Katie. You know I get that occasionally,
(03:44):
and I did it myself. Y, you take kids to
work and you have to make do, and particularly with
childcare being so difficult to find. But I just saw
this as a real feature or characteristic of the former
labor government. Nicole Manison was another one I know work
part time and for that, as a former police minister,
(04:05):
we all suffered. We watch crime escalates to crisis levels
in Alice Springs because the police minister was at home
looking after the kids a lot of the time. And
I can hear people crying across nor the terrorory me
saying this that I've held onto this for a long time. Katie, Yeah,
I absolutely stand by what I'm saying. It is wrong
(04:28):
that ministers who have paid a huge amount of money
with a massive responsibility work part time.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Rob And I know that they would argue that they
don't that they would probably argue that you know that
they do work after hours, and you know there's a
lot that they have to give up on the weekends
in order to do their roles. So it's fair enough
to take the kids in to work at different times.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, good, bring it on. I'd like that debate, and
I'd like some sincerity around it, because I think we've
all suffered because a lot of these ministers haven't been
upfront and honest about it. And there lies the next
problem is what happened with Labor as a result of
how they behaved, and that is not telling the truth
(05:15):
to territories. I mean, you can hide for so long
and you can spend all the nonsense you want. You
could call red black or yellow purple, and it's the opposite.
But people know when they're not being told the truth.
They know when they're being spun a load of nonsense.
And I think we saw that for many years by
(05:36):
the former Labor government.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Robert, I want to ask you. I mean with the
opposition leader, they get paid. You've set around two hundred
and seventy five thousand dollars a year they does the
opposition also get a raft of resources there's an MLA
like yourself or the other independents don't get absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So the opposition get their own well appointed suite on
Level four of Parliament House, which is under the well
known Level five where governments sit, and they from what
I recall, they get about one million dollars to spend
(06:17):
on staff and operating their office. So the opposition leader
gets around two hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a year,
and the deputy gets an extra allowance on top of
the basic salary of all members of Parliament is around
one hundred and sixty five I think, or maybe one
(06:37):
hundred and seventy thousand dollars. We all get that. That's
what I get, and for the extra duties that a
lot of a lot of people get, there is extra money.
For example, if you're the deputy Opposition leader, I think
you might get another thirty or forty thousand on top
of that. I haven't got the list in front of me.
(06:59):
If you're the whip, you get extra money. If you're
a chair of a committee, you get extra money. So
there's not many members that just sit on the basic salary,
but as an independent member get I just get the
basic salary and if I sit on a committee, I
(07:19):
might be eligible for an extra sixteen thousand dollars and
that's what I got over the last four years as
a member of the Public Accounts Committee, because that has
special responsibilities. But look the money, the money flows fairly
freely in politics, and we've got nothing to complain about
(07:40):
the territory and should be watching how these people execute
their roles and I think they should be more accountable.
I mean a lot of jurisdictions it's a requirement that
ministers show their diary, have a public diary where you
can see where the ministers go and what they do.
That to be fair enough, Well, it's very it would
(08:03):
be very confronting for the like well I've seen in
the past. You have to account for every hour of
their day. It would be quite incredible.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Looks Robin. There are a couple of people messaging through saying, Robin,
this is a new low for you, you know, calling
into question a mum juggling her kids. There's others backing
you up saying you know that you're right. People have
not been working full time in their jobs. So it
is like there's definitely you know, that discussion starting to
happen around I guess the way you know, the way
(08:35):
in which they man Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Just being accountable. And when you are earning a huge
amount of money, and I dare say that people calling
in aren't earning anywhere close to what the Northern Territory
ministers the It really is important that you sort out
your childcare arrangement and you do work all time. I
(09:01):
remember when Gunner took about five weeks off on paternity
leave when he was Chief Minister. I mean any other
normal person you'd say yes, But the Chief Minister of
the Northern Territory, who's not on two hundred and seventy
five thousand, he was on about three hundred thousand dollars
taking weeks and weeks of paternity leave. I know this
(09:23):
isn't going to go down well with certain sectors, but
I feel I can say what I like because this
is the truth and this is what goes on and
people need to know that. And if it's okay with Territorians,
then I'll apologize and move on to the next issue.
But I think at the beginning of the parliamentary term
like this, it's a question to stay put it out there.
(09:43):
You know that this is what has been going on.
Part time ministers are underperforming, under delivering and not telling
the truth to territorians.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Robin, I want to ask it is looking I mean,
just when we sort of thought like things were looking
like they've been decided when it comes to the election
rethrow of preferences in the seat of Nightcliff has the
former Chief Minister Natasha Files looking as though she's going
to lose to the Greens. So while final vote counts
are yet to be confirmed by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission,
(10:14):
the updated count has Files on just forty two votes
behind the Greens Cat Macnamara in the two candidate preferred counts,
so two hundred votes to twenty two hundred and forty two,
despite the fact, of course that Natasha Files does lead
quite considerably on those primary votes. I mean, what do
(10:35):
you make of this situation.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I think it's quite unbelievable. I did not see this
coming at all, Katie, and I'm shocked, like all of us.
It's just a peculiarity of the preferential voting system that
we have that someone who can win on first preferences
quite comfortably can end up losing to someone who was
(10:59):
third on preferences. So look, I can only imagine how
upset Natasha Files is feeling, you know, But she joined
her colleagues in what has been an absolute white out
for labor. I heard the new opposition leader Selena Ubo
talking on ABC Ala Springs radio yesterday with little apology
(11:22):
about or little reflection on what they've done wrong. I mean,
when you're completely wiped out, when the most popular politician
in the Northern Territory, Natasha Files, loses her seat, surely
you say we got it wrong, as we should have
done things better, and you take a good long look
(11:44):
at yourself. But that wasn't forthcoming in the interview I
heard yesterday, not with Morning.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yeah, not with us either. When we'd spoken to her yesterday,
it sort of didn't seem that way, and they were
still talking about, you know, the fact that they weren't
going to be an opposition that talks the territory down
and this kind of thing. And I just kind of
thought to myself, I'm not sure whether they get it.
I don't know whether they get I don't know how
they cannot after the message that was certainly sent by
(12:10):
territories very loudly and clearly. But I know there's been
this bit of discussion as well about what Summer saying
is a push to the Greens. I mean, when you
look at the primary votes in Nightcliffe, just as an example,
you've got Natasha Files one four hundred and fifty eight
primary votes, Helen's secretary on one thousand and fifty five.
The Greens candidate who looks like she's going to be
(12:33):
coming in catmag Nama Are on nine hundred and seventy two,
Malilma May the Independent on eight hundred and fifty six,
and another independent on one hundred and one. I mean,
do you think that there has been a push to
the Greens.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Oh, definitely. I mean down here in Alice Springs, it's
been quite incredible that the Greens told twice is as
well as a labor. Labor has become a relevant in
Central Australia. In Alice Springs, I should say. I mean, obviously,
Chance you take one his seat of Glodgier comfortably. But
(13:12):
I think what we're seeing is people turning their backs
on labor because they lied about environmental issues. Essentially, they
lied about water allocation and fracking and all sorts of
other things that do matter for a lot of Territorians
and they've turned their back on them. I mean it
(13:35):
goes back to a very simple premise here, and that
is you must tell the truth. You must be honest.
You cannot lie and lie and lie to people and
expect them then to vote for you in the polls.
I think this is a lesson that we can all
learn in politics you can spin a little, you can
(13:57):
try and reframe things that when you blatantly look people
in the face, which I saw labor ministers do for
many years, it just won't be tolerated. Kate Warden was
the greatest disappointment around her spin on the environment and
water allocation. I mean, it's just not acceptable. And they
(14:19):
will have plenty of time to reflect on how dishonest
they were to Territorians, particularly over the last three to
four years, and even beyond them in the whole fracking business.
You know, even now, they can't sort of lay straight
in bed at night and say that they support fracking.
And that's probably one reason why Natasha File may not
(14:40):
get up. She gave so many mixed messages around all
those environmental issues that she obviously personally feels very passionate about,
but couldn't own and couldn't be honest about because her
party held the opposite view. So they became just quite
a rabble and incoherent and deeply dishonest.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Well, Robin Lambley not holding back at all this morning,
which I always appreciate. Thank you, Thank you for your time.
We'll talk to you soon. I've got a few weeks off,
so we'll talk to you when I get back.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Thank you, thanks,
Earlier this week the Labor Party in ount Selena Rubo
would take the important role of opposition leader. Duran Young
is set to be the deputy, with the small opposition
receiving resources and funding to officially hold the government to account.
Now joining us on the line is Robin Lamley, the
Independent member Farara lun Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Robin, Good morning, Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Robin. You took to social media earlier in the week
to congratulate the new opposition leader, but also cautioned that
it is a role which comes with great responsibility.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I did, Katie. I've been observing the former Labor government,
the former Labor ministers now for eight years, quite closely,
and like Selena, many of them I think were taking
the mickey out of the position. They a lot of
them had small children. They carried their children throughout their
(00:56):
time as ministers, gave birth to children and looked after
small children, and that's lovely in itself. I think what
I observe is that a lot of them worked part
time as ministers on huge incomes, and I really believe
(01:17):
that that's one of the reasons why they failed in government,
because they weren't one hundred percent dedicated to their position.
They tried to do what is not just a full
time job as a twenty four to seven job part time,
and you could see that they had their children with
(01:38):
them at different events. Lauren Moss was another obvious person
who did that a lot. I remember she traveled down
to Alice Springs a few years ago and took her
little child around two different meetings and agency visits. And
it just doesn't work, Katie. And you know, I'm probably
(02:00):
sounding like a fifty nine year old bit sort of
out a date, but I do have a very strong
work ethic and I always judge people by the people
that we employ in our shop, in our friends. And
they can't take their kids to work, well, and I can't.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I think that's a good point to make.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
It's inconvenient. They have to find childcare arrangements for their
children and they have to work full time like most Australians.
So I think Labor have done the wrong thing there
and amongst all sorts of other things that they're Yeah, well,
I think wonder how Selena is going to manage.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I think that's I think that's a good point to make, Robin,
because look I'm listening and I'm thinking, oh, shit, I've
had to, you know, like I've had to drag my
kids around two different things over the years, as I
know that, you know, and and you know, they've had
to come into work at different times. I can recall
days when, you know, when my eldest was quite young,
you know, doing an interview with the Chief Minister and
seeing a swinging around on the chair and the studio
(03:01):
behind and thinking, oh my goodness, I can't believe I've
had to bring it to work, you know. And it's
always a last resort for me. They're older now, but
it's always the last resort for me, as I know
it is for a lot of parents. So you know,
I know there'll be some people listening this morning who
are thinking, oh, come on, Robin, you know that's what
some of us have to do in terms of juggling.
But we are talking about.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, yeah, but I have to ask you facetiously, are
you on two hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a
year definitely not afford if you are to organize childcare
and sort it out. Yeah. I'm definitely not a little
bit different here, Katie. You know I get that occasionally,
(03:44):
and I did it myself. Y, you take kids to
work and you have to make do, and particularly with
childcare being so difficult to find. But I just saw
this as a real feature or characteristic of the former
labor government. Nicole Manison was another one I know work
part time and for that, as a former police minister,
(04:05):
we all suffered. We watch crime escalates to crisis levels
in Alice Springs because the police minister was at home
looking after the kids a lot of the time. And
I can hear people crying across nor the terrorory me
saying this that I've held onto this for a long time. Katie, Yeah,
I absolutely stand by what I'm saying. It is wrong
(04:28):
that ministers who have paid a huge amount of money
with a massive responsibility work part time.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Rob And I know that they would argue that they
don't that they would probably argue that you know that
they do work after hours, and you know there's a
lot that they have to give up on the weekends
in order to do their roles. So it's fair enough
to take the kids in to work at different times.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, good, bring it on. I'd like that debate, and
I'd like some sincerity around it, because I think we've
all suffered because a lot of these ministers haven't been
upfront and honest about it. And there lies the next
problem is what happened with Labor as a result of
how they behaved, and that is not telling the truth
(05:15):
to territories. I mean, you can hide for so long
and you can spend all the nonsense you want. You
could call red black or yellow purple, and it's the opposite.
But people know when they're not being told the truth.
They know when they're being spun a load of nonsense.
And I think we saw that for many years by
(05:36):
the former Labor government.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Robert, I want to ask you. I mean with the
opposition leader, they get paid. You've set around two hundred
and seventy five thousand dollars a year they does the
opposition also get a raft of resources there's an MLA
like yourself or the other independents don't get absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So the opposition get their own well appointed suite on
Level four of Parliament House, which is under the well
known Level five where governments sit, and they from what
I recall, they get about one million dollars to spend
(06:17):
on staff and operating their office. So the opposition leader
gets around two hundred and seventy five thousand dollars a year,
and the deputy gets an extra allowance on top of
the basic salary of all members of Parliament is around
one hundred and sixty five I think, or maybe one
(06:37):
hundred and seventy thousand dollars. We all get that. That's
what I get, and for the extra duties that a
lot of a lot of people get, there is extra money.
For example, if you're the deputy Opposition leader, I think
you might get another thirty or forty thousand on top
of that. I haven't got the list in front of me.
(06:59):
If you're the whip, you get extra money. If you're
a chair of a committee, you get extra money. So
there's not many members that just sit on the basic salary,
but as an independent member get I just get the
basic salary and if I sit on a committee, I
(07:19):
might be eligible for an extra sixteen thousand dollars and
that's what I got over the last four years as
a member of the Public Accounts Committee, because that has
special responsibilities. But look the money, the money flows fairly
freely in politics, and we've got nothing to complain about
(07:40):
the territory and should be watching how these people execute
their roles and I think they should be more accountable.
I mean a lot of jurisdictions it's a requirement that
ministers show their diary, have a public diary where you
can see where the ministers go and what they do.
That to be fair enough, Well, it's very it would
(08:03):
be very confronting for the like well I've seen in
the past. You have to account for every hour of
their day. It would be quite incredible.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Looks Robin. There are a couple of people messaging through saying, Robin,
this is a new low for you, you know, calling
into question a mum juggling her kids. There's others backing
you up saying you know that you're right. People have
not been working full time in their jobs. So it
is like there's definitely you know, that discussion starting to
happen around I guess the way you know, the way
(08:35):
in which they man Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Just being accountable. And when you are earning a huge
amount of money, and I dare say that people calling
in aren't earning anywhere close to what the Northern Territory
ministers the It really is important that you sort out
your childcare arrangement and you do work all time. I
(09:01):
remember when Gunner took about five weeks off on paternity
leave when he was Chief Minister. I mean any other
normal person you'd say yes, But the Chief Minister of
the Northern Territory, who's not on two hundred and seventy
five thousand, he was on about three hundred thousand dollars
taking weeks and weeks of paternity leave. I know this
(09:23):
isn't going to go down well with certain sectors, but
I feel I can say what I like because this
is the truth and this is what goes on and
people need to know that. And if it's okay with Territorians,
then I'll apologize and move on to the next issue.
But I think at the beginning of the parliamentary term
like this, it's a question to stay put it out there.
(09:43):
You know that this is what has been going on.
Part time ministers are underperforming, under delivering and not telling
the truth to territorians.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Robin, I want to ask it is looking I mean,
just when we sort of thought like things were looking
like they've been decided when it comes to the election
rethrow of preferences in the seat of Nightcliff has the
former Chief Minister Natasha Files looking as though she's going
to lose to the Greens. So while final vote counts
are yet to be confirmed by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission,
(10:14):
the updated count has Files on just forty two votes
behind the Greens Cat Macnamara in the two candidate preferred counts,
so two hundred votes to twenty two hundred and forty two,
despite the fact, of course that Natasha Files does lead
quite considerably on those primary votes. I mean, what do
(10:35):
you make of this situation.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I think it's quite unbelievable. I did not see this
coming at all, Katie, and I'm shocked, like all of us.
It's just a peculiarity of the preferential voting system that
we have that someone who can win on first preferences
quite comfortably can end up losing to someone who was
(10:59):
third on preferences. So look, I can only imagine how
upset Natasha Files is feeling, you know, But she joined
her colleagues in what has been an absolute white out
for labor. I heard the new opposition leader Selena Ubo
talking on ABC Ala Springs radio yesterday with little apology
(11:22):
about or little reflection on what they've done wrong. I mean,
when you're completely wiped out, when the most popular politician
in the Northern Territory, Natasha Files, loses her seat, surely
you say we got it wrong, as we should have
done things better, and you take a good long look
(11:44):
at yourself. But that wasn't forthcoming in the interview I
heard yesterday, not with Morning.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yeah, not with us either. When we'd spoken to her yesterday,
it sort of didn't seem that way, and they were
still talking about, you know, the fact that they weren't
going to be an opposition that talks the territory down
and this kind of thing. And I just kind of
thought to myself, I'm not sure whether they get it.
I don't know whether they get I don't know how
they cannot after the message that was certainly sent by
(12:10):
territories very loudly and clearly. But I know there's been
this bit of discussion as well about what Summer saying
is a push to the Greens. I mean, when you
look at the primary votes in Nightcliffe, just as an example,
you've got Natasha Files one four hundred and fifty eight
primary votes, Helen's secretary on one thousand and fifty five.
The Greens candidate who looks like she's going to be
(12:33):
coming in catmag Nama Are on nine hundred and seventy two,
Malilma May the Independent on eight hundred and fifty six,
and another independent on one hundred and one. I mean,
do you think that there has been a push to
the Greens.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Oh, definitely. I mean down here in Alice Springs, it's
been quite incredible that the Greens told twice is as
well as a labor. Labor has become a relevant in
Central Australia. In Alice Springs, I should say. I mean, obviously,
Chance you take one his seat of Glodgier comfortably. But
(13:12):
I think what we're seeing is people turning their backs
on labor because they lied about environmental issues. Essentially, they
lied about water allocation and fracking and all sorts of
other things that do matter for a lot of Territorians
and they've turned their back on them. I mean it
(13:35):
goes back to a very simple premise here, and that
is you must tell the truth. You must be honest.
You cannot lie and lie and lie to people and
expect them then to vote for you in the polls.
I think this is a lesson that we can all
learn in politics you can spin a little, you can
(13:57):
try and reframe things that when you blatantly look people
in the face, which I saw labor ministers do for
many years, it just won't be tolerated. Kate Warden was
the greatest disappointment around her spin on the environment and
water allocation. I mean, it's just not acceptable. And they
(14:19):
will have plenty of time to reflect on how dishonest
they were to Territorians, particularly over the last three to
four years, and even beyond them in the whole fracking business.
You know, even now, they can't sort of lay straight
in bed at night and say that they support fracking.
And that's probably one reason why Natasha File may not
(14:40):
get up. She gave so many mixed messages around all
those environmental issues that she obviously personally feels very passionate about,
but couldn't own and couldn't be honest about because her
party held the opposite view. So they became just quite
a rabble and incoherent and deeply dishonest.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Well, Robin Lambley not holding back at all this morning,
which I always appreciate. Thank you, Thank you for your time.
We'll talk to you soon. I've got a few weeks off,
so we'll talk to you when I get back.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Thank you, thanks,
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