One of three people who determines the pay and benefits of the NT’s politicians and local councillors publicly called the Palmerston Mayor a “horny old toad” on ABC Radio Monday morning, adding that Athina Pascoe-Bell has “greedy little hands” and warning her to expect a “bloody big fight” over proposed changes to council boundaries despite the tribunal member’s obligation to remain impartial.

Disgraced former speaker Kezia Purick, who was forced to resign from the speaker role in 2020 after corruption findings were made against her by the ICAC, currently sits on the Remuneration Tribunal that is supposed to impartially determine the salaries, benefits and allowances of MLAs, local government councillors and judges.

But Ms Purick has routinely attacked opposition and crossbench MLAs on social media while celebrating Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and her policies, raising questions about the independence of the Remuneration Tribunal, which has approved substantial pay rises for ministers and MLAs over the last two years since the CLP came to power, with more modest rises for local councillors.

Ms Purick inserted herself into the debate around Palmerston Council’s proposal to incorporate areas currently in Litchfield Council, including the suburbs of Holtze and the industrial area of East Arm, but added only insults and threats directed at Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell.

“I tell you what, hell will freeze over before Holtze becomes part of the Palmerston City Council boundaries,” Ms Purick told ABC Radio’s Mornings program Monday after calling in and being put on the air for the rant.

“This is just a horny old toad that won’t go away. It’s not the first time the Mayor of Palmerston has tried to get her greedy little hands onto Holtze and it’s categorically staying in the Litchfield Council boundaries.

“Because I live in Holtze and I tell you what, there’s no bloody way I’m going to have anything to do with that Mayor of Palmerston that’s for sure!”

Ms Purick continued the unscheduled outburst, stating that “the people in Holtze won’t have anything to do with her [Ms Pascoe-Bell] either”, adding that if Palmerston Council wanted to increase its ratepayer base it could develop the third stage of Marlow’s Lagoon and stay out Litchfield Council’s business.

“She’s trying to take the east side of the highway [at Holtze], you know, it’s like a big money grab…and that’s just not on,” Ms Purick said.

She then referenced the Deputy Chief Minister being on her side in the dispute despite Gerard Maley not being the responsible minister for municipal boundary redistribution.

Ms Purick’s sister sits on the Litchfield Council, which is another conflict of interest for Ms Purick.

Ms Pascoe-Bell appeared on the Drive program Monday afternoon where ABC played her Ms Purick’s comments.

“I think that’s completely inappropriate coming from a member of the Remuneration Tribunal who sits on my allowance determinations,” Ms Pascoe-Bell said.

“Really inappropriate the way she spoke about me personally.

“That’s serious, very serious, and I don’t know why she’s allowed to get away with speaking like that about any elected officials [while] she sits on [the] determination [board] for their allowances.

“She shouldn’t be allowed to be sitting on those determinations while she’s got very strong opinions like that because she can’t be impartial.”

Ms Purick has previously targeted Ms Pascoe-Bell on social media, cryptically writing in an NT News post ahead of the 2025 municipal elections that Ms Pascoe-Bell had “ulterior motives” which she refused to expand on or explain.

Ms Pascoe-Bell told the NT Independent she should be able to do her job as Mayor in relation to council business without being attacked by the person who sets her mayoral allowance.

“Decision-makers are supposed to be impartial and she shouldn’t be making biased statements,” she said.

Purick has long track record of embarrassing Remuneration Tribunal

Monday is not the first time Ms Purick’s supposedly independent role on the Remuneration Tribunal has conflicted with her public statements.

In March of this year, Ms Purick threatened Christians opposed to the CLP’s voluntary assisted dying legislation with violence while she publicly defended the CLP Government’s legislation on ABC Radio.

That incident also raised questions about the independence and impartiality of the Remuneration Tribunal.

In July, Ms Purick embarrassed herself and the tribunal again when she admitted in another appearance on ABC Radio Darwin that she had no idea why the NT’s remote MLAs are given $450 a night tax-free to stay at their own residences in Darwin despite having personally signed off on that recommendation.

She also incorrectly claimed the money was not tax-free, which it is, and then appeared to implicate herself in messy dealings with the ATO over her electorate allowance while a sitting MLA.

Ms Purick was appointed to the Remuneration Tribunal by the Finocchiaro CLP Government in December 2024 and was paid more than $15,000 for 21 meetings in nine months in the 2024-25 financial year. The tribunal is chaired by former CLP leader Gary Higgins with former Labor deputy leader Lynne Walker as the third member.

Mr Higgins has repeatedly refused to comment on Ms Purick’s outbursts and would not say Tuesday what he intends to do to restore the public’s perception that the tribunal is unbiased in its dealings following the latest rant.

Ms Purick also did not respond to questions, including why she would publicly insult Ms Pascoe-Bell on radio, given her role on the tribunal.

Ms Finocchiaro, whose government recommended Ms Purick be appointed to the role on the tribunal despite the corruption findings against her, also refused to comment on Ms Purick’s latest outburst.

Ms Purick was forced to resign as speaker in 2020 following the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption’s report that found she had engaged in “corrupt conduct” when she used public resources as speaker to interfere in the establishment of a new political party. She was also found to have lied to the ICAC about it during an investigation.

The corruption investigation into that matter is still on the ICAC’s website and has remained there despite previous incorrect claims and assertions by Ms Purick.

Ms Purick was narrowly re-elected to her seat of Goyder at the August 2020 NT general election despite a massive 23.9 per cent swing against her by voters and resigned ahead of the 2024 election before unsuccessfully managing an independent candidate’s campaign that ended in massive defeat that year.