Ex-Darwin mayor and prominent cane toad-buster Graeme Sawyer will run as an independent for the seat of Wanguri at the upcoming NT general election, following what he calls a failure by the major parties to listen to the public and “continuing to do the same thing expecting different results”.

It’s time, he says, to restore accountability to government.

“Many residents in the Wanguri electorate feel they aren’t being listened to… it’s time for a fresh start for a responsive, transparent and accountable government,” Mr Sawyer said, citing multiple policy failures by the current Labor Government due to “inept and corrupt processes” and general lack of transparency.

Among his key concerns is crime, saying the government’s “tough on crime” strategy was “failing everyone.”

This is a personal issue for Mr Sawyer, arising from the murder of his grandson in October 2022, which he says was partly caused by a failure in the Labor Government’s policies.

“The professionals who have the skills and mindset to make a difference are appalled at the ‘get tough on crime’ nonsense … there are solutions, and the government needs to resource them,” he told the NT News.

He added that anyone could win the previously safe Labor seat following the retirement of Labor incumbent Nicole Manison.

Another critical issue for his campaign is increasing accountability and access to regulation and reducing restrictions on small businesses in the NT, stating that “the economy will do much better if a small business strategy is at the centre of economic planning”.

He also said renewables needed to be the focus, not just on gas.

“And yet the government thinks we can do it with gas, which doesn’t make sense economically – the whole rationale around gas is scary to me,” he told the NT News.

Mr Sawyer has a lifelong passion for the environment, having won numerous awards for his work on cane toads and researching goannas.

He will contest the seat against Labor’s Shlok Sharma and the Country Liberal Party’s Oly Carlson. Political pundits agree the seat of Wanguri is very much in play at August’s election.