NT Administrator David Connolly has issued an apology for his past social media posts, which he claimed again he did not intend to cause offence with, but stopped short of addressing other comments he has made and positions he has taken against Indigenous Territorians, with the apology coming on the eve of his swearing-in.
A day after the Chief Minister lost her cool on radio over a scheduled protest against the appointment of NT Administrator David Connolly on Friday, Speaker Robyn Lambley has shut the rally down citing security concerns for “the dignitaries involved”, but the Governor-General’s office said last night neither it or the AFP raised any concerns, with event organisers now looking for a new venue while pondering legal action against the government.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro erupted on radio Monday morning in frustration to the public outrage over the appointment and scheduled swearing-in of David Connolly as Administrator this Friday, following the cross-bench and Opposition’s move to boycott the ceremony because of Mr Connolly’s past racist and sexist public comments, with Ms Finocchiaro arguing that “people should have some respect” for the new Administrator.
CLP backbencher Tanzil Rahman needs to publicly explain the bullying allegations that were levelled against him by two female parliamentary staffers, independent MLAs and the Opposition have said, which follows the Chief Minister’s attempts to keep the “sensitive HR matter” secret, which she claimed was “out of respect for all parties”, despite the matter already being resolved.
Bullying allegations against CLP MLA Tanzil Rahman made by two female parliamentary staffers have “been resolved” as part of a “sensitive HR matter”, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has claimed, but questions remain over how the situation was handled and what the Chief Minister knew about the allegations.
The byelection to select the next Member for Nightcliff will be held on March 7, with the Greens and Labor announcing their candidates out of the gate, while the CLP is yet to put a candidate forward.
UPDATED: Kat McNamara, the first NT Greens member elected to NT Parliament, has resigned “effective immediately”, citing health reasons, while a federal senator says McNamara was insulted and “intimidated” by government while in Parliament.
EDITORIAL: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s defence of choosing David Connolly as Administrator this week has done nothing to calm rising tensions in the wider community and instead raised questions about what type of agenda she’s driving that was not fully disclosed to Territorians ahead of the last NT election.
The Opposition and independent MLAs spectacularly walked out of Parliament Thursday in protest after a series of fiery exchanges about the appointment of Administrator David Connolly, which started when respected Yolngu leader and MLA for Mulka Yingiya Guyula was gagged from attempting to ask the Chief Minister about the appointment, which he said was for his constituents who want to know why a man with a history of making racially vilifying comments about Aboriginal people was given the highly respected role.
The public’s confidence in the role of NT Administrator has been badly shaken by the appointment of David Connolly, a senior Darwin barrister has said, while the NT Bar Association also raised concerns about his suitability for the “crucial constitutional position”, as the Chief Minister claimed Wednesday that while she was not aware of Mr Connolly’s offensive posts before recommending him, she would do it again because he is the “best possible person” in the Territory for the role.
CLP Government ministers were unable to provide simple answers in Parliament about basic NT public service code of conduct conditions while the Labor Opposition bombarded ministers with veiled questions about the appointment of David Connolly as Administrator after being shut down by the Speaker, who forbade any mention of Mr Connolly’s name, while attempting to move a motion calling for his revocation.
Confusion reigned Monday over who the current King’s representative in the Territory is after the Chief Minister said David Connolly was the Administrator with “limited powers” while the Administrator’s office said last week Chief Justice Michael Grant would be acting Administrator until February 27, with the situation further convoluted by Speaker Robyn Lambley issuing an internal email warning MLAs not to be “disrespectful” to Mr Connolly when Parliament resumes this week.
