The NT News’ 120 Most Powerful: Numbers 5-1
Alf the most powerful. We take you back to the 2017 Most Powerful Territorians list and why we made Alf Leonardi more powerful than the Chief Minister.
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Why Alf was the most powerful. We look back at out 2017 Most Powerful Territorians list and why we said Alf Leonardi was more powerful than the Chief Minister.
WE TAKE YOU BACK TO 2017 WITH THIS SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE.
Today, we finally count down from Numbers 5 to 1 in our 120 Most Powerful list.
These are the five people we believe have the most power to shape the future of the Northern Territory and we believe we have compelling reasons to list them where we have.
Just click on each picture in our interactive graphic below to find out a bit more about our list makers today and why we’ve placed them in this order.
What do you think of our choices today?
Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s chief of staff Alf Leonardi may surprise some as our choice for Number 1.
A staff member who is more powerful than the elected leader. He wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t a gatekeeper but, in this instance, Mr Leonardi is more. He is a policy setter.
Making Mr Leonardi the most powerful was not a decision we took lightly.
The whole of the Territory should be uncomfortable that our most powerful person is not the Chief Minister or a private sector leader but a fifth floor staffer.
• The 2018 NT News’ 120 Most Powerful Territorians list so far: Numbers 120-3
It says an enormous amount about the road ahead.
Mr Leonardi and Natasha Fyles, Mr Gunner’s attorney-general, both come in ahead of the chief minister this year.
Ms Fyles is everywhere when the Government needs to talk to the people, especially via press conferences and especially when bad news needs to be delivered.
Whether the Government was this year talking about bottleshop sizes or the stopping of the Home Improvement Scheme it was Ms Fyles who was left to be the face and voice of the Government — and Mr Gunner was often nowhere to be seen or heard.
• NUMBERS 10-6: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 20-11: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 30-21: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 40-31: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 60-41: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 80-61: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 100-81: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
• NUMBERS 120-101: THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL FOR 2017
No Chief Minister has ever ranked at Number 1 on our Most Powerful countdown and Mr Gunner, who drops down The List from Number 2 last year to Number 3 this year, continues that trend.
Mr Gunner shows all the hallmarks of a leader who is being tightly controlled.
It’s a control he needs to break free from to establish himself as a genuine Chief Minister for the Northern Territory.
• THE NT NEWS’ 120 MOST POWERFUL TERRITORIANS FOR 2016
We can only wait and see where he ends up on The List next year — that is, if he even makes it, of course.
But what do you think?
You can let us know by going to ntnews.com.au and joining in the conversation in the comments section.
The List always gets the Territory talking. So make sure you know who’s in and who’s out of the NT’s circle of influence.
Just remember, if you haven’t been following our countdown you won’t be able to gossip about it with everyone else.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list. Until next year ...
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