CLP candidate Kathy Ganley booed at debate after ‘insulting’ elderly voter

COUNTRY Liberals candidate Kathy Ganley has been booed at a election debate in Darwin after she told an elderly voter who challenged her to ‘stop taking drugs’

Solomon candidates. from left, Kathy Ganley (CLP), Tim Parish (Greens), Raj Rajwin (United Party) and Luke Gosling (ALP), and moderator Katie Woolf at the meet the candidates event held at The Cavenagh Hotel.. Picture: Natasha Emeck

A COUNTRY Liberals candidate was booed at an election debate in Darwin on Thursday after she told an elderly voter who challenged her over the renewable energy to “stop taking drugs”.

CLP candidate for Solomon Kathy Ganley got a rocky reception for the statement she made at candidates forum at The Cavenagh Hotel.

She was one of four participants including Labor incumbent Luke Gosling, Greens candidate Tim Parish and United Australia’s Raj Rajwin who all took questions from the audience at the pub.

Fannie Bay pensioner Rosemary Jacob, 83, told the candidates she was a big fan of solar power and asked what their plans were to “make use of the resources the Territory have in light of global warming”.

In her response Ms Ganley said: “I’m really sorry to break the dream but if you think that solar power is going to generate all of our electricity … you need to stop taking the drugs you’re on. It’s not going to happen.”

Greens candidate Tim Parish said he thought her comments were uncalled for.

“Apparently she thinks that this lovely elderly lady here takes drugs (be)cause she cares about the environment, that’s absolutely insulting,” he said.

“That is so disrespectful to one of your own constituents, I can’t actually believe it.”

After the debate, Mrs Jacob told the NT News she thought Ms Ganley’s response to her question was stupid.

“I might have smoked drugs a few years back but I certainly don’t now,” she said.

“But in all seriousness, I think that reflects badly on her.

“For someone to be able to say something like that to someone of my age — it is not only disrespectful it’s stupid.”

Undecided voter Keith Drew of Malak said he also thought the CLP candidate performed badly at the forum.

“As much as I dislike Territory Labor I think (Thursday’s) debate convinced me to vote for Labor in the federal election,” he said.