Dear editor,
We all judge a government by the outcomes they deliver to the people during their term. When a new government is elected and implements policy, change is rarely immediate, and time is required for those policies to take effect.
Whether you agree with the policies or not, the CLP has aggressively implemented the policies they promised the public prior to the election.
Even if you disagree, they’ve followed through on their commitments: lowering the age of criminal responsibility, amending the bail act, appointing a Territory Coordinator, fast-tracking resource projects, opening housing developments, reinstating the School Attendance Program, increasing the home buyers grant, and ending treaty plans.
Now, we are only eight months into this term, and it would be unreasonable to criticize the effectiveness of these new policies, but time will tell. In today’s world, every report card includes a column for ‘effort,’ and in this regard, the CLP would receive high marks, except in one area: accountability.
It is here that I can give them a big fat zero. I’m not referring to the accountability of the sitting members, as we are only at the beginning of their tenure, and their scandals are yet to emerge. Rather, I’m referring to the accountability of the public service.
One could argue that the term ‘public service’ in the NT is a perfect oxymoron. The public service in the NT does not serve the public; it serves those who control it. If you are unaware of this, visit the beginning of this publication and read all the articles to date. There is not a single department in the NT where senior executives do not have questions to answer.
Sadly, we only see accountability when it is exposed in media mostly from a bloke publishing articles from a donga in an industrial area and persists until action is taken.
The CLP Finocchiaro Government has observed this for two terms in opposition. They know how infuriated and fed up the public and the public service employees are. Our corruption bucket is overflowing with slime, gunk, and sludge. The previous government filled it up and we cannot take any more.
The current government is aware of the details of specific cases and, for some reason, have made zero effort to hold anyone accountable. Alarmingly, they are now appearing complicit, and it won’t be long before the wider public views them as equally corrupt.
Even when presented with the opportunity to hold one of the most senior public servants – the Commissioner of Police, a role where trust is paramount – accountable, after found ‘corrupt’ by the government’s own corruption watchdog, the Chief Minister had to be dragged kicking and screaming by the people to act with transparency.
Corrupt and incompetent executives have been shifted sideways rather than terminated, nepotism and incompetence continues to be accepted. Sadly, we won’t see any different approach from the CLP with the 5 lying cops from the coronial that had to be investigated and reported by a victim of corruption himself at his own cost because the police and office of the DPP are complicit themselves in that very matter, as well as many others.
Lia needs to be reminded that a leader, by definition, is not someone who follows the masses but rather someone who leads them.
The Territory people do not view the public service and the sitting government as a single entity – that is until they become one. The CLP began this term with a clean slate, and failing to be as aggressive in addressing accountability and corruption as they are in all other facets of government will result in the CLP being viewed as nothing less than complicit, enabling and corrupt themselves.
– Owen Pike, Darwin
Owen Pike is a local businessman and owner of the NT Independent. The views expressed are his own.
If you want your letter to the editor published send it to ntindependent@protonmail.com. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. We will only publish your name and suburb or town. We do reserve the right to edit the letter for length and clarity purposes. PRIVACY POLICY: You can find our privacy policy by clicking here.
It is so disappointing to watch governments of both stripes fail to deal with the hard issues, and treat the public as fools.
Hear Hear!
Government should be for the people and productivity, not for the public service mandarins.
More Elon, Donald and John Dutton required. (and Owen)
Our household believes that Murphy ‘confessed’ because LiaR didn’t want to set a precedent whereby she named the person in Parliament using whatever mechanism she chose. Thankfully an Independent stood up and threatened to do that part. LiaR claimed not to know if she could do that or not: both her and her husband are/were lawyers. She knew alright.
Of course LiaR could simply undo Greg Shamahan’s recommendation, later voted into law by both main parties, to hide those names from the public. Then she wouldn’t have a choice to make in the future, it would be mandatory naming, as it was before Greg got involved to help his public sector mates. The onus not to be publicly named then is, and always should be, on the corrupt NOT TO BE CORRUPT.
To pick one of many you listed: We don’t think credit for fulfilling a promise is due; rather, look at the promise first. Promising to criminalise 10 year old children, who are often forced to attend with much older others and f**king up the rest of their life with criminal convictions on their records….then following through with your promise-deserves zero credit.
It takes 15 minutes with a majority in a single (unicameral) ‘house’ parliament/legislative assembly to pass legislation. Again, why would you grant credit for that: no debate/don’t have to listen to anyone else’s opinion nor get expert advice or evidence and argue it to make your case, just turn up and say “we think blah, therefore we’re making blah law”. Next!
Eg. Trump promised tariffs before his election, Trump followed through on tariffs. Result: Global financial system in freefall, trillions of dollars gone, relationships permanently broken, prices higher, millions in meltdown, job losses worldwide.
IF PUBLIC SERVANTS ARE SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE AND WE PAY THEIR WAGES, WHY CAN’T WE DICTATE WHAT THEY GET PAID???????