CLP considers preferencing Labor above Territory Alliance again because of anti-fracking backflip

THE Country Liberal Party could preference Territory Alliance below Labor at the August election after Terry Mills’ new party announced it would ban fracking

The CLP, led by Lia Finocchiaro, above, could preference Territory Alliance below Labor at the August election after Terry Mills’ new party announced it would ban fracking

• Fracking an economically unviable ‘pipe dream’ for the NT: Mills
• Peak business, industry groups slam Territory Alliance fracking backflip
• NT News reader poll wildly at odds with Mills’ fracking stance

THE Country Liberal Party could preference Territory Alliance below Labor at the August election after Terry Mills’ new party announced it would ban fracking.

Several senior CLP sources have told the NT News they believe the party should now walk away from any preference deal with Territory Alliance, saying the fracking ban was at odds with the CLP’s fundamental belief in economic development and job creation.

“Our whole basis is about how we can grow the Territory and how we can create jobs,” one party member said.

“Anyone who wants to ignore the science and every report including the Hawke Report and the Pepper Report, and the fact there could be 13,000 jobs and a few billion dollars worth of taxes has got to be seen as a threat to the Territory, not a bonus.”

CLP president Ron Kelly confirmed Territory Alliance’s policy change could change its approach to preferencing.

RELATED STORIES

Territory Alliance will back fracking for forseeable future: Leader Terry Mills

Terry Mills opinion: An Alliance government will allow fracking to continue

Territory Alliance backflips and pledges to ban fracking if elected

“Mills’s backflip on a significant opportunity for the Territory’s economy certainly makes those deliberations more important for the future,” he said.

The CLP was criticised for putting Labor second on its how-to-vote cards in the Johnston by-election – a move that helped Labor’s Joel Bowden win despite a big swing against the ALP.

But Mr Kelly said Territory Alliance had rejected his party’s attempts to swap preferences before the by-election and had instead done a preference deal with the Greens.

“(The fracking ban) makes it more problematic because this would make it seem that the deal that was done between Territory Alliance and the Greens before the Johnston by-election is still alive and well,” he said.

“Our position has always been that we will deal with people we believe are like-minded. If they are going to promote policies that are anti-development then we’re going to have to have a serious think about that.”

ALP secretary Anthony Brereton declined to comment when asked about preference deals, saying his party was focused on campaigning.

But other Labor sources said the ALP was keen to strike a deal with the CLP in key seats.

“While nothing is finalised, we want to preference parties that are stable and have credible policies,” the source said.

LIMITED TIME: New NT News subscription offer: $1 a week for the first 12 weeks

A Territory Alliance spokeswoman said the party would “conduct preference negotiations in a respectful manner at the appropriate time and not in the media”.