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NT government loses majority after Speaker Kezia Purick quits CLP NT government loses majority after Speaker Kezia Purick quits CLP
(35 minutes later)
The Northern Territory Speaker Kezia Purick has resigned from the Country Liberal party. The Northern Territory government no longer has a majority in parliament, after the Speaker of the house announced her resignation from the Country Liberal party on Monday.
Her resignation means the chief minister, Adam Giles, will have to negotiate with one of five independents to retain power until the election in August next year. Kezia Purick, the member for Goyder, has previously spoken of her frustrations with the government, and on Monday confirmed she had written to the party leadership and chief minister Adam Giles to inform them of her resignation.
Related: How the Northern Territory government went from landslide to 'laughing stock'Related: How the Northern Territory government went from landslide to 'laughing stock'
Purick, who is unhappy about resistance to the establishment of an oversight body to improve governance and transparency and other issues, said she would not support a vote of no-confidence in the government. “I have become increasingly agitated at the lack of integrity framework within the government and lack of communication from the executive government to all CLP elected members,” she said. “A lack of transparency in decision-making and accountability is further highlighted in increasing unrest and distrust in the planning commission by Territorians.”
“I will not vote to bring the government down,” she said. But she told media she would like to remain as Speaker and vowed not to vote for a motion of no confidence against the government, should one be put forward, because “it’s not my job to undo the government”.
She said voters in her electorate of Goyder had told her they wanted her to stay but could not bring themselves to vote for the CLP, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency. “I won’t be participating in any political games, point-scoring or cheap gains to get motions passed,” she said.
The chief minister insisted nothing would change now that the government had lost its one-seat majority. “My decision to not take the Territory to an election at this time is not just because I believe a government should serve its full term, but also that Territorians voted this government into office and have the ultimate right and responsibility to unelect it.”
Asked about Purick early on Monday, before her announcement , Adam Giles told Mix 104.9, “It’s the first I’ve heard of it.” She said she suspected the 2012 election “voted Labor out” rather than the CLP in, and “this could well be reversed next year”.
Purick has previously told Guardian Australia her membership was at the whim of her constituents, and that their views would determine whether she stayed with the government.
On Monday she said she had spoken to many people in her electorate over the past couple of weeks.
“They are genuinely upset with this government,” she said. “They are solid, strong conservative voters and they come to me saying, ‘We want to vote for you, we want to keep you there, but we cannot bring ourselves to vote for this government.’”
On Monday she said her reasons for resigning revolved mainly around planning and development issues in the rural regions, including a lack of transparency in the process. She said she had resorted to lodging freedom of information requests in order to find out about planning in her electorate.
In return for her co-operation with the government, Purick said, she would also be pushing for greater understanding of her rural electorate from the leaders, and specifically a review of the Medical Services Act and regulation of the RU486 abortion pill.
The CLP came to office in 2012 with a majority 16 MPs in the 25 seat unicameral parliament. After a string of resignations, which now includes Purick, the government has just 12, and will be forced to rely on one of the independents to pass legislation.
Since the election the government has been beset by numerous problems and controversies. Most recently Paul Mossman, a senior advisor to minister Bess Price was last week charged with corruption in relation to a travel booking made for Price via the chief minister’s department. The booking was made through Latitude Travel, owned by Xana Kamitsis, who is currently facing multiple fraud charges. Kamitsis faces a corruption charge alongside Mossman
Purick is the latest in a string of high-profile women to leave the party. Alison Anderson, Larissa Lee and Robyn Lambley have all resigned in the past 18 months.
Lambley and a former president of the CLP, Sue Fraser-Adams, who also resigned from the party, have spoken of a “boys’ club” in the CLP parliamentary wing, but Purick said she did not agree with those assessments.
“This is not a game for the faint hearted,” she said.
Chief minister Adam Giles was expected to address media on Monday afternoon.
Asked about Purick early on Monday, before her announcement, Giles told Mix 104.9, “It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Kezia has been a integral member of the team and of government, I’ve had a good time working with her both in opposition and in government,” he said.“Kezia has been a integral member of the team and of government, I’ve had a good time working with her both in opposition and in government,” he said.
“She’s a person who is very outspoken for her electorate and that’s what we expect all members of parliament to do.”“She’s a person who is very outspoken for her electorate and that’s what we expect all members of parliament to do.”
But, he said, “we’ll just get on and govern, nothing will change”.But, he said, “we’ll just get on and govern, nothing will change”.
The CLP won government in August 2012 with 16 seats in the 25-seat Legislative Assembly, but three members have walked out in the past year.
Indigenous members Alison Anderson and Larisa Lee resigned last April amid claims of racism and sexism in government.
Former deputy chief minister Robyn Lambley left the party last month, accusing Giles of running government like a boys’ club and driving her out, and of threatening and bullying colleagues into compliance.
All three now sit as independents. With Purick now also joining longstanding independent Gerry Wood on the crossbench, the government will have to negotiate with one of the five to retain power.
More to come