Put politics aside and get on with the business of governing

There’s a big difference between the game of politics and the business of government, and the former should not matter to Territorians in a tragic week, writes Matt Cunningham.

There’s a big difference between the game of politics and the business of government. Territory Labor has been very good at one of these things and not so great at the other.

Its electoral dominance – in force for all but four of the past 22 years – was again on display last week when it romped home in the Arafura by-election.

Labor no doubt spent most of Sunday looking ahead with glee to the coming parliamentary sitting week.

MLAs and minders were working on their jokes, practising how they’d laugh at the Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro, who would be under immense pressure to keep her job after her party’s third by-election loss since the 2020 election.

But there was a drastic change in mood by the time most people woke up on Monday morning and learnt of the death of 20-year-old bottleshop attendant Declan Laverty.

The man accused of his murder, 19-year-old Keith Kerinaiua, was already on bail for a previous alleged aggravated assault with a bladed weapon.

The game of politics was suddenly a long way from the minds of most Territorians, who were now focused on the business of government, and how ours had seemingly failed in its most important duty; to keep its citizens safe.

Damian Crook will remember his son, Declan Laverty, for his old soul and true friendship.

The message, however, appeared lost on members of the Northern Territory government when parliament resumed on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles had found exactly the right tone when she addressed the media on Monday and during an ABC radio interview on Tuesday morning.

She was sincere and sombre, declining to answer questions about the by-election win and promising action from the government after Mr Laverty’s death.

Yet our ridiculously extravagant Parliament House does strange things to all those who enter it.

And by the time question time began on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Fyles and most of her Labor colleagues had forgotten about the serious business of government and were back playing the game of politics.

It was most evident when Barkly MLA Steve Edgington asked a question about a recent Property Council survey that found almost 95 per cent of business owners have seen an increase in crime and social issues in the past six to 12 months, and 75 per cent have been victims of crime.

Matt Cunningham is the Northern Australia Correspondent and Darwin Bureau Chief at SKY NEWS Picture: Justin Kennedy

Here’s how the Chief Minister responded: “Mr Speaker, that was a strong question from the potential Leader of the Opposition. Good leadership style, Member for Barkly. With the fifth election lost on the weekend by the current Leader of the Opposition – I note that she was interjecting as I rose to spoke. She needed to talk so that you all knew she was there as the Leader of the Opposition. With a 15 per cent swing to the government, her days are numbered. She is the one-trick pony and void of ideas.”

It continued in a similar vein for almost two minutes, with no attempt by Speaker Mark Monaghan to direct the answer back to the question.

Does anyone remember that glossy document Labor produced before the 2016 election promising to restore integrity in government?

“It is likely any move to an independent speaker would significantly improve the conduct and function of parliamentary question time,” it says.

And yet here we are.

Meanwhile (almost un-noticed amid the crime chaos) Environment Minister Lauren Moss jetted off to New York this week without mention of who else was going or what it would cost.

But back to those who attended parliament this week.

It’s true there is internal turmoil within the CLP.

The party managed to pull off a spectacular act of self-sabotage with its division on the Voice to Parliament in the lead-up to the Arafura by-election.

Questions have been asked of Lia Finocchiaro’s leadership, and some within the CLP’s rank-and-file have urged Mr Edgington to make a run for the top job.

But none of this should be of any concern to the people Territorians elected to run our government, especially in a week where a young man was stabbed to death at work.

Former NT News editor Matt Cunningham is the Darwin Bureau chief and Northern Australia correspondent for Sky News

Originally published as Put politics aside and get on with the business of governing