Territory voters set to head to polls after NT Government scraps Coomalie Council

The Northern Territory Government has scrapped a Top End council. Read why and what it is.

Coomalie Community Governent Council have been dismissed following a report that identified systemic and individual failures within the local government authority.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Development Steve Edgington announed on Friday he had dismissed council members following the organisation’s suspension in July, 2024.

Electors in Coomalie are expected to go to the polls on August 23 - in line with the scheduled Northern Territory Local Government Elections.

Mr Edgington said his decision was based on serious and sustained deficiencies in the Council’s governance and operations.

“The decision to dismiss members of the Coomalie Community Government Council was difficult but necessary,” Mr Edgington said.

“It underscores the importance of elected members meeting their obligations under the Local Government Act 2019 and serving the best interests of their communities.

“My decision paves the way for a new council to restore good governance and rebuild trust with the people of the Coomalie region.”

Coomalie Council covers Top End rural communities including Adelaide River, Batchelor and Lake Bennett.

Local Government Minister Steve Edgington in parliament. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

He said his decision had been informed by submissions received from suspended members and findings in the investigation report, conducted by Cathryn Hutton.

She was appointed to investigate the council by former Labor Local Government Minister Chansey Paech.

The report, which was due to be released earlier this year, was delayed by several months.

Mr Edgington said key findings included members lacking a full understanding of their roles and responsibilities as members of council, as well as significant interpersonal conflicts among members.

The report identified insufficient administration of meetings which included inadequate procedures for compiling meeting agendas and minutes and serious procedural errors during the performance review of council’s executive.

Local Government of the NT president Kon Vatskalis said Coomalie’s failure highlighted the need for a local government code of conduct to guide the sector across the Territory.

Lord Mayor of Darwin andd LGANT President Kon Vatskalis. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“This is a result of ineffective and toothless Code of Conduct regulations,” Mr Vatskalis said.

“The Local Government Association of NT has been pushing for changes to the Code of Conduct for years.

“The government is now listening and we welcome this - but real change won’t come into play until next year.

“Communities want to know what is the government going to do to address these issues if they happen again in the meantime.”

Reflecting on the Government’s push to replace constituent-elected mayors with council-elected mayors, Mr Vatskalis pointed out that the sacked Coomalie president, Sharon Beswick, had been appointed.

“It’s also interesting to note that this mayor was elected by the council, not the community,” he said.

Council’s interim management, led by experienced local government executive Mark Blackburn, welcomed the announcement as a first step towards returning democracy to Coomalie.

“Since July 2024, I have worked closely with Council staff and the community to ensure the

continued delivery of services and have maintained transparent governance practices during

this period” Mr Blackburn said.

“I would like to thank the chief executive and senior management and their teams for their

professionalism in developing a new set of Council policies that have addressed a number of

irregularities and compliance issues.”

Originally published as Territory voters set to head to polls after NT Government scraps Coomalie Council