Dear Editor,
You made some extremely persuasive comments in the editorial on Saturday, December 2, 2023.
Arrogance, immaturity, born-to-rule ethos and vested interests bordering on corruption emanate from too many NT ALP and CLP Legislative Assembly members.
The lack of commonsense and due respect for constituents, the health of the land and the people trying to protect public interests is mind-boggling. I know that money motivates short-term thinking and reaction by our political ‘leaders’ nowadays but just a smidgin’ of long-term sense of place and pride in Country would go a long way.
I may be what one conservative power-broker termed an ‘idealist’ but I’m a practical idealist. I know my politics. I keep my feet on the ground.
Apart from the two Marks in the NT Legislative Assembly, the kiddies in the ALP and CLP are interchangeable and gullible. Many have no sense of spirit or place and this is killing the NT and what makes it uniquely special, precious and why so many of us have stayed here so long.
We need some mature, open and knowledge-sharing Independents and Greens to empower us. I’m literally sick of Big Party power-strutters using the public purse to glorify war and destruction instead of looking after the health of our environment and the peace and welfare of people unable to afford the basic necessities of life.
Silence on contentious issues is bad enough – but LIES, so many LIES keep coming! This apalls and humiliates and dehumanises. Throughout the world, reactionaries in government and corporate business-as-usual weaponise power over the people and the goodness of humanity and boast of disempowerment and extinction of essential life on earth.
To quote an American poet/lyricist EY Harburg, in his 1950s African Song: “Do we morally have the right to even plan to let ‘backward nations’ join the Brotherhood of Man?”
– Diana Rickard, Berry Springs
Suspected corruption as against proven massive Green economy destroying stupidity? I will take the suspected corruption every time.
Boof, great comment mate 🤣
We know exactly what to expect if voters were that GULLIBLE. Just look at the Federal examples 🙄. Their male representatives are “fairies in the garden”. The females….. 👩❤️💋👩🥴😜😱
I agree that the new crop of CLP are only suspected of corruption.
But when it comes to labor, it’s certain.
As for ‘economy destroying stupidity’, I think that description fits this NT ALP government very well.
Rather than developing original ideas for an economy that meets the employment needs of Territorians, they’ve focused on busy-ness – the appearance of economic activity. Labor have hitched themselves to some duds (prawn farming, lithium mining) and misplaced faith in some other proposals that have fallen way behind schedule (ship lift, sun cable). They seem to have learnt nothing from the lessons of Inpex, which saw a lot of money flow through the NT in a way that benefited FIFO Temporary-torians, while pricing many real locals out of town during the boom, then smashing local small businesses during the unmanaged bust (an entirely forseeable impact which neither the ALP Henderson nor CLP Giles administrations prepared for). And for what? On most measures, the NT economy today is no better than before Inpex kicked off.
Now they seem to have put all their economic eggs in the Middle Arm basket. Even if we were to decide to welcome the forecast increased incident of childhood cancer in nearby Palmerston suburbs from the Middle Arm petrochemical plants, this too is running behind schedule. It’s not going very well for them, and they haven’t even got to the hard part.
If the options I get include an Independent or a Green, I’ll be putting them first. I don’t expect them to form government, but I do hope they can make a difference. The old parties have not earned our support. We need new ideas and representatives who are focused on the needs of Territorians, not their share holdings or post-parliament consultancies.
I am sure that you guys printed this letter to get a reaction. So here it is. Independents sure, Greens never you idiot.
NT Independent, theres being unbiased and independent and then there’s publishing Trash!
Is that a paid advert from the greens. LOL
As others said. give ALP or CLP before the greens anyday. LOl what a joke