NT politics: From punch ups to citizens arrests, this is Australia’s strangest parliament.

HE gets into bar room brawls and grafitti’s public toilets. And he’s just one of the characters in the zoo known as the NT parliament.

POLITICS in Canberra and Queensland might be a little nuts this week, but they’ve got nothing on the NT.

If 24 hours is a long time in politics, the NT must be on Martian time, because there’s no other explanation for just how crazy things have been in Darwin this week.

At 1am on Tuesday morning the NT’s little known primary industries minister Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe called an unprecedented press conference.

The Darwin press pack were caught flat footed ... literally, with one tweeting a photo of journos rocking up in only shorts and thongs.

Reporting, Territory style.

In the bizarre three minute press conference, Mr Westra van Holthe anointed himself the new Chief Minister after a late night vote.

He told the stunned media pack that he would be sworn in later that day.

But at 11am the event was cancelled. The former police officer had nowhere near the number of supporters needed to form a Government. The incumbent Chief Minister Adam Giles had refused to sign a resignation letter, so no change of leader could happen.

In an email exchange obtained by the NT News, Speaker Kezia Purick chastised her colleagues, telling them they had no idea what actually constitutes a government, and weren’t fit to run the Territory.

“This is not about you and your selfish, self serving view of the world, there needs to be consideration of the Territory, all of them everywhere, which I believe you are not doing.”

“Willem and John, you need to think you can wrestle control over night and without a vote from the wing. You are wrong.”

Nothing to see here ... Adam Giles and Willem Westra van Holthe address the media after a crazy day in NT politics.

The day got weirder. Chief Minister Adam Giles held a bizarre 12 minute press conference at 2pm, where he incredibly admitted there might be no party to lead, with so many people leaving the CLP they may no longer have the minimum number of members to be registered as a party.

“I would actually be questioning right now whether the CLP has the 500 members needed to be a registered party themselves,” he said.

He alluded to “alleged politicians” spreading “scurrilous rumours through the upper echelons of the police force” after the scandal that brought down the former head of the NT Police last month.

But just hours later Mr Giles and Mr Westra van Holthe walked out of parliament house together having called a truce. Mr Giles would remain Chief Minister and the man who wanted his job would be his deputy.

So far, so crazy.

But let’s meet the characters involved. And you might want to start following NT politics more closely.

WILLEM WESTRA VAN HOLTHE, the man who can’t do a coup.

He might have been in a political fight this week, but the Member for Katherine rocked up to work after a bar room brawl in 2010.

It was a challenge for Willem from the start. He was the party’s second choice in the 2008 election (the first being forced to quit during the campaign in a scandal). When then leader Terry Mills announced they had a new candidate, he was stumped on Willem’s surname. It was a painful press conference.

His other list of notable achievements include being busted putting up “I hate Delia” anti-government stickers inside public toilets while in opposition, and sported a black eye during a press conference after a punch up outside a pub in Katherine.

Aren’t you glad your leader doesn’t wader around public toilets posting stickers like these?

But now he will always be the guy who called a 1am press conference to declare himself chief minister when he really wasn’t.

ADAM GILES, still the Chief.

After surviving a very strange day in politics, NT Chief Minister Adam Giles did the only thing he could ... head to the pub for a beer and a sausage. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

Giles is pretty boring by Territory standards. Yes, he staged his own coup a couple of years ago to land the top job, but his craziest statements all seemed to be lumped together in one 12-minute long rant yesterday afternoon.

It covered everything from the fact he probably has no party to lead, to talking about the “banana freckle issue”, dissing his challenger for his handling of the primary industries portfolio.

“I don’t think Willem has the capacity or the tenacity to be Chief Minister”. Hours later he was his deputy.

JOHN ELFERINK, possibly the world’s quickest demotion

The man who stood behind Willem as “deputy leader” at 1am on Tuesday was John Elferink. Known for his eccentricity throughout the Darwin media circles, here are some of the highlights over the past few years.

In 2012 Mr Elferink was standing behind then leader Terry Mills during a press conference about proposed assault legislation. In what quickly became a YouTube hit, a man came up and kicked the former police officer half way through the announcement. In farcical scenes, Mr Elferink then tried to make a citizens arrest, hail down passing police, and wrestle the man. All in front of the TV cameras.

The man known as ‘Elf’ tries to make a citizens arrest during a press conference. Yes, these things actually happen in Darwin.

He also sees himself as the intellect behind the party, and holds a law degree. When he named Attorney General, he was quick to put himself forward as a member of the legal team in court. It’s fair to say there were plenty of Danny Denuto jokes going around Darwin at the time.

And in a bizarre late-night parliament sitting, he misheard a Labor member accusing his colleague Dave Tollner of being drunk. He then called the media and dragged Mr Tollner out the back of parliament house, pulled out a home breathalyser kit, and tested him to prove he wasn’t drunk. The only thing it really proved was that the man known as ‘Elf’ carries around a breathalyser kit for his colleagues. Hansard records later showed no accusation against Mr Tollner was ever made.

DAVE TOLLNER … wasn’t part of this, but he deserves a mention.

Stay classy Dave. Mr Tollner is known as one of the more ‘colourful’ characters in NT politics.

The former Federal Member for Solomon is notable for many, many reasons. A couple of stand outs include putting a photo of himself wearing a shirt promoting marijuana use on his campaign flyer, and getting caught out in a strip club when he should have been at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

He is currently on the back bench of the CLP after referring to the gay son another member as a “pillow biter” and a “shirt lifter”.

KEZIA PURICK … maybe the most ‘out there’ speaker in Australia? (and that’s saying something).

As you might be able to tell, NT Parliament Speaker Kezia Purick won’t take sh*t from nobody.

The woman who’s leaked email to Willem yesterday told him in no uncertain terms that he can’t do maths, and has no idea what’s involved in forming a government, is not shy in speaking her mind.

“You need to think who will be leader of government business, whip, deputy speaker, chairman of parl(iamentary) committees and the like.”

The Phantom lover (she’s usually adorned in a skull and crossbone somewhere on her outfit) last year threatened to castrate Kevin Andrews after he suggested people in de facto relationships were more likely to break up than those who were married.

“Listen here you pooncy, pasty-faced person from some puissant place that no one cares about” she said on her Facebook page.

“Half my electorate are probably in de facto relationships and they are happy, normal people. Go away Kevin Andrews, and if you ever come to the rural area and try to tell us how to live, three words for you, green rubber ring.”