NT’s 120 Most Powerful people for 2022
The Territory’s new Administrator, the NT’s biggest Indigenous festival and a campaigner for euthanasia are among the Most Powerful people making today’s list. Follow the countdown from 20-11.
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We’re edging closer and closer to revealing the number one Most Powerful person for 2022 with 20-11 being revealed today.
Among the names is new NT Administrator Hugh Heggie who comes in at number 17.
This is a remarkable jump for the former chief health officer who was number 119 in 2021 and the Most Powerful person in the 2020 list.
Garma Festival makes its debut in the list after returning to northeast Arnhem Land last year following a two-year histus.
The newly appointed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended using his keynote address to launch the national referendum on a constitutionally recognised Voice to parliament.
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Follow the countdown from 20-11
20. Louise McCormick
The NT’s first Infrastructure Commissioner, McCormick is pivotal to the Territory government’s strategy to grow the economy to $40bn by 2030.
Close to Infrastructure Australia’s influential boss Romilly Madew, McCormick’s appointment in March 2022 put the Territory at the table where national discussions around infrastructure allocation take place.
An award-winning engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in the transport and infrastructure sectors, one of her priorities will be the establishment of the Middle Arm precinct, while she is also an advocate for projects including the Darwin Regional Water Supply and the Beetaloo Sub-Basin development.
She is also instrumental in inner-city projects the Civic and State Square redevelopment and new art gallery.
McCormick represents the Northern Territory on several national boards, committees and working groups including as the Deputy Chair of Austroads, Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), the Infrastructure Investment Forum and I-Body National Forum.
A Territorian of close to two decades, McCormick knows the NT better than most, particularly for the opportunities it presents.
19. John Paterson
The chief executive of Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT, Paterson has never shied away from speaking out about the chronic issues impacting the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Territorians.
In 2022 Paterson continued his tireless advocacy, speaking up about the treatment of children in detention, controversial changes to alcohol laws and promoting the need for a Territory medical school to boost the local medical workforce.
The Ngalakan Elder was a major voice in opposition to seemingly rushed changes to Intervention-era bans on alcohol in over 400 Aboriginal communities, saying there should have been an opt-out system to the bans immediately lifting to allow time to prepare for alcohol-related harms.
Unlike many Territorians, Paterson has not put the crises of the Covid pandemic to the back of his mind, continuing to push remote vaccination rates and proper resourcing of front line health clinics.
The AMSANT boss is also on the Aboriginal Peak Organisations group and the Menzies School of Medicine strategic board.
His tireless service to Aboriginal health has not gone unnoticed, with Paterson awarded the Darwin’s NAIDOC Week Person of the Year Award in 2022.
Patto, as he is affectionately known, became Dr Patto in 2022, after being awarded an honorary doctorate from Charles Darwin University in recognition of his decades of advocacy for mob all around the Northern Territory.
18. Denise Bowden
As chief executive of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Bowden is a major figure in the world of Indigenous education and economic reform.
Born and bred in the Territory, Bowden has time again proven herself as a fierce advocate for both Indigenous and women’s rights.
Constantly pushing the agenda for both, Bowden has worked extensively with Yolngu clans in northeast Arnhem Land.
Bowden also doubles as the director of the Garma Festival, the event Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used to springboard his government’s push for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. That the festival also makes this list is testament to Bowden’s status as a national figure on Indigenous affairs and her achievements leading the event back from the pandemic.
And with the Voice to parliament debate set to be front and centre of Indigenous affairs in 2023, Bowden’s influence is only likely to grow in the next 12 months.
17. Hugh Heggie
The 2020 Most Powerful person looked likely to drop off the list entirely after taking a controversial six-month paid sabbatical from his role as the NT chief health officer.
However, he dramatically popped up again in November in the NT’s most powerful position, the NT Administrator, a role he must have been over the moon to receive.
Heggie will be in the role for three years with the job involving administering key statutory, civic and ceremonial responsibilities.
He remains and has always been a powerful and emotive campaigner for Indigenous health and has a keen interest and commitment to protecting the NT’s remote communities.
As chief health officer he played a key role in the NT’s Covid response introducing regulations, some referred to as draconian, to keep the region Covid safe.
16. Garma Festival
After a two year hiatus, Garma Festival returned to northeast Arnhem Land for a historical four-day event in 2022.
The newly appointed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used his keynote address to launch the national referendum on a constitutionally recognised Voice to parliament.
The event bounced back from Covid with agenda-setting reforms and speakers, including 2022 NT Australian of the Year Leanne Liddle, who delivered a powerful address on racism and the justice system.
It was the meeting place of balanda and First Nation’s advocates like Thomas Mayo who has been tirelessly promoting the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The force behind Garma’s $30m success was Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden, who again has been fearless in her commitment to Indigenous education and cultural tourism.
15. Judy Dent
In 1996, Dent’s husband Beb was the first person in the world to use voluntary assisted dying, right here in the Territory.
However, less than a year later voluntary euthanasia legislation was revoked by federal laws. Dent launched almost a quarter-of-century long campaign to have those rights’ restored.
In November last year that “first battle” was won when the federal senate restored the Territory’s ability legislate on the issue.
Dent has now vowed to lobby the Territory government until they fully restore those rights to Territorians; a battle that is contingent on a Labor conscious vote.
14. Dr Samuel Bush-Blanasi
Voted the Northern Territory’s Australian of the Year, Bush-Blanasi was re-elected as Northern Land Council’s chairman for a historic fourth term.
The Wugularr (Beswick) man has continued to advance Aboriginal land rights through significant advocacy for tidal rights in the Northern Territory.
Controversial amendments to the Fisheries Legislation Bill in 2022 were a significant win for Traditional Owners that recognised First Nation’s peoples relationship to sea country and restricted access to waterways for fishos through a permit system.
After his mum was a claimant in the 2008 High Court Blue Mud Bay judgment that delivered 85 per cent of the Territory’s intertidal zones to Traditional Owners, it is clear he has continued her legacy.
He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Charles Darwin University in 2022 for his ongoing fight for first nations’ people equality.
13. Gerard Maley
As the CLP’s deputy leader, Maley is one of the Territory’s most notable politicians outside of the Labor government.
The shadow minister for infrastructure, planning and logistics, multicultural affairs, Defence industries, recreational fishing, alcohol policy, national resilience and Territory development, Maley is well-placed to wield great influence over the future of the Territory should the CLP claim victory over Natasha Fyles’ Labor Party in next year’s election.
How likely that prospect is will depend on the pressure the opposition can mount in the next 18 months but with crime at an all-time high across the Territory, the CLP’s “tough on crime” mantra may provide the opportunity to scrutinise the government even more in the next year. And with Maley often standing up to address crime, he is poised to become the face of the CLP’s response to the crisis.
12. Shaun Drabsch
Chief executive of the all-powerful Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Drabsch comes in at number 12.
One of the main people tasked with the almighty job of growing the Territory’s economy to $40bn by 2030, his department has been dealt some blows recently with the fallouts of both the ship lift and Sun Cable solar projects.
Drabsch was surrounded by controversy in 2021 after being named and blamed in the independent Commissioner Against Corruption report into the government’s awarding of a $12m grandstand grant to the Darwin Turf Club.
His department was identified as not having properly assessed the grant proposal and the finding of “unsatisfactory conduct” against his team reflected badly on Drabsch.
Territorians need to see some certainty in that our economy is growing on a pipeline of stable projects, with as little risk as possible.
In light of the recent losses all eyes will be on Drabsch, hoping he can break the Territory’s boom-bust economic cycles and deliver sustained economic growth.
11. Scott Bowman
The Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor has been in the role for two years now and it’s clear he has a vision to take the uni to new heights.
One of Bowman’s aims has been to broaden the university’s focus from Darwin-centric to one that services the whole of the Northern Territory.
The university has recently returned to Nhulunbuy, offers pop-up degrees in Alice Springs and Katherine and is eyeing expansion to Tennant Creek.
Under his leadership the university has also appointed new senior roles across the Territory and grows ever-closer to the completion of the Darwin CBD campus.
Bowman is keen to continue the university’s growth and will continue to lean on VET programs to boost the population base.
He was previously the vice-chancellor and president of Central Queensland University, senior deputy vice-chancellor at Western Sydney University and deputy vice-chancellor and registrar at James Cook University.
Originally published as NT’s 120 Most Powerful people for 2022
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