The NT Cattlemen’s Association has been forced to publicly acknowledge it works with Indigenous people and employs women in leadership roles as part of a “diverse and modern” NT cattle industry, following comments from NT Administrator and former NTCA president David Connolly, who claimed on Monday that his racist, sexist and homophobic social media posts, that also included joking about domestic violence and date rape, were a reflection of “the pastoral world”.

Mr Connolly’s decision to suggest his social media posts disparaging Indigenous Territorians, the LGBTQI community and women – many of which were made while he was president of the NTCA – were reflective of the cattle industry has angered many in the industry and others who questioned if the industry peak body shares Mr Connolly’s views.

Mr Connolly also claimed he made the now-deleted controversial posts on X between 2019 and 2024 as a “naive cattleman”.

“They are past social media comments – my past was as a cattle station manager,” Mr Connolly said on Mix 104.9 on Monday, in his first and only interview since being sworn in on Friday.

“I was thrust into the cut and thrust of agri-politics by taking on the NTCA presidency [in 2021]. And whilst in that NTCA presidency, my job was to look after the members of the NTCA and at the time, we were in a very vicious fight with the Federal Government and my role was to head up that fight.”

Asked specifically about past tweets mocking Welcome to Country ceremonies, disparaging remarks about Indigenous people and culture and joking about domestic violence, Mr Connolly said there was not enough time to “get into all of my tweets…but I want to tell you that all of those were in response to things that were going on in the pastoral world”.

Larrakia man and business leader Nigel Browne took to social media to question what Mr Connolly was suggesting went on at NTCA meetings.

“Must have been interesting meetings at the Cattlemen’s Association…if that is, in fact, what people in the pastoral industry talk about,” he wrote on Monday.

The NT Independent sent questions to the Cattlemen’s Association on Tuesday asking if it and other industry members endorse Mr Connolly’s views and if people connected to the NTCA share those types of thoughts and language regularly, as Mr Connolly appeared to suggest.

The Country Women’s Association NT has already come out strongly against Mr Connolly, signing an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to revoke his appointment and stating the association would not be inviting Mr Connolly to a fundraising event later this year due to his “disparaging comments”.

But the NTCA did not directly respond to questions about its position, instead issuing a statement to say the NT’s cattle industry was “modern” and “diverse”.

“The pastoral industry we represent is modern, professional, and diverse including Indigenous-owned enterprises, women in leadership and a workforce drawn from across the Territory and beyond,” the unattributed statement said.

“The Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association is focussed on its primary role of advancing and protecting the interests of cattle producers in the NT.”

Mr Connolly’s response on Monday was similar to the excuse former police minister and Member for Fannie Bay Brent Potter used when he was accused of sharing racist, misogynistic and homophobic social media posts before becoming a minister.

Mr Potter initially said the posts were “satirical humour” made because he had served in the army and that the military “required a certain type of person”, angering many who said his views were not reflective of the Australian Defence Force or its personnel. Mr Potter later accepted he made the comments on his own and that he was undertaking “some learnings”.

Mr Connolly also said on Mix on Monday that he was in a new “learning period” since being appointed Administrator and recognised now that his tweets had “triggered those [bad] memories for those people and for that I’m very sorry”.

“And what I really want to do in this learning period is to ask those people and those associations how my office can now help to tone down those sort of comments that blokes do, blokey sort of talk, or talk that’s a little bit clumsy,” he said.

He then added that while some think his posts are racist and sexist, “some people” have called and texted him telling him “what you’re doing is right”.

The NTCA would not say if any of their members have been calling and texting Mr Connolly to offer support for the comments.

“My past is my past and I can’t change that, but I’ve owned it,” Mr Connolly said, without explaining how “owning” his past remarks involved the pastoral industry.

He and the Administrator’s official secretary Craig Kitchen did not respond to questions, including why Mr Connolly said his comments were the result of his role in the cattle industry.

Mr Browne, a former NORFORCE member, said he was also disappointed Mr Connolly as Administrator would become the honorary colonel of the army reserve regiment that is the largest employer of Aboriginal Territorians.

“I think service members deserve better than him,” he said.