He is the chief minister and the one person who can change things for the better

THERE is no doubt the political situation in the NT is impacting what is happening in Alice Springs — and Chief Minister Michael Gunner needs to fix it

THERE is no doubt the political situation in the Northern Territory is impacting what is happening in Alice Springs — and Chief Minister Michael Gunner needs to fix it.

We’ve had the ridiculous situation where Mr Gunner refused to meet with the mayor of Alice Springs, Damien Ryan, on one of his rare visits to the town recently.

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Part of the reason Mr Gunner, a Labor MLA, won’t meet with Mr Ryan is because he ran for the CLP in the seat of Araluen in the last Territory election.

The deputy mayor of Alice Springs, Jacinta Price, is also a former CLP candidate so there is a clear disconnect between Mr Gunner and the town council.

This disconnect is of serious concern when it comes to fixing the town’s issues, which have now been highlighted on a national scale.

The two Alice Springs town electorates — Araluen and Braitling — are held by independent MLA Robyn Lambley and the CLP’s Joshua Burgoyne respectively.

Ms Lambley has long been a critic of Mr Gunner and his government so the Chief Minister also has reservations about meeting Ms Lambley.

The seat surrounding Alice Springs, Namatjira, is also held by a new CLP member, Bill Yan. Labor Minister Chansey Paech, who is the Member for Gwoja, is the closest Labor politician to Alice Springs.

Of Labor’s 14 members of parliament, 11 are based in Darwin and Palmerston and therein lies the problem. For all of former chief minister Adam Giles’ faults, he was credited with turning Alice Springs around when he was in charge. Given he was the Member for Braitling, it’s not hard to see why he cared.

The time has well and truly come for Mr Gunner to rise above politics and take control of the situation in Alice Springs.

Mr Gunner, who was born in Alice Springs and completed some of his junior schooling there, needs to lead from the front and prove to Territorians he is serious about fixing the immense problems in the town.

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He is the chief minister and the one person who can change things for the better. Mr Gunner should rally the troops — Labor, CLP or otherwise — and get the ball rolling on a week-long town hall-style summit in Alice Springs where politicians, along with key interest groups and government agencies, can work out a way forward.

Alice Springs and the Northern Territory need Mr Gunner to stand up. It’s not always about the votes.

Originally published as He is the chief minister and the one person who can change things for the better