Administrator David Connolly says he was a “naive cattleman” mixed up in the high stakes world of “agri-politics” when he made controversial social media comments disparaging Aboriginal people, women and the LGBTQI community and joked about domestic violence and date rape, while his former employer at Tipperary Station has provided some insight into why he left the station manager role last year.
Mr Connolly appeared on Mix 104.9 Monday morning, following Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s media strategy of avoiding press conferences in favour of more controlled radio interviews, stating his past offensive posts, made between 2019 and 2024 were “pastoral world” talk and that he was in the middle of a “learning period”.
Latest effort by Connolly is better but still too little and much too late. He was not a good choice.
“His Honour” has shared with Territorians the genesis of his offensive and hurtful remarks:
“agri politics”
“response to things that were going on in the pastoral world”
“Blokey sort of talk”
“Talks that’s a little bit clumsy”
Disingenuous, facile, shallow post facto attempt at justification postulated on a purported pervasive and corrosive culture in the pastoral industry.
Credible?!
A disgraceful appointment that damages our NT social cohesion and national reputation!
Who is responsible and accountable?
Ted Egan would roll over in his grave.
Who will the CM appoint next? Poorlean??? She’d be full of ‘I don’t take back what I said’.