Exclusive: Tracey Hayes to take on Michael Gunner in Fannie Bay for CLP

THE woman once ranked the most powerful person in the Northern Territory will go head-to-head with Chief Minister Michael Gunner at next year’s election

Tracey Hayes will go head-to-head with Chief Minister Michael Gunner at next year’s election

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THE woman once ranked the most powerful person in the Northern Territory will go head-to-head with Chief Minister Michael Gunner at next year’s election.

Former NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Tracey Hayes on Monday night confirmed she will put her hand up for Country Liberal Party preselection in Mr Gunner’s seat of Fannie Bay.

“I have been thinking long and hard about this and I want to contribute to the future of the Territory,” she said.

“Our family are sixth generation Territorians and we’ve played a big role in the Territory’s history and we want to be a part of the Territory’s future.

“I have some concerns about the future of the Territory and the direction we are heading in but my focus in the short-term will be putting my hand up for preselection and putting my case for an opportunity to represent the constituents of Fannie Bay.”

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The move is a major coup for the CLP as it tries to rebuild its image following a horror 2016 election that saw it reduced to just two seats in the NT Parliament.

In 2014 Ms Hayes became the first woman to lead the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, helping rebuild the industry in the wake of the 2011 ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia.

But she will have to make history again if she’s to wrest Fannie Bay from the chief minister.

Labor has held the seat since 1995, when Clare Martin won Fannie Bay at a by-election following former CLP chief minister Marshall Perron’s resignation.

“I’d be running against the incumbent chief minister and I’m aware of the challenges that that could bring but it’s also important to me that I represent the community that I am a part of and that I live in,” she said.

Ms Hayes lives in Fannie Bay with her husband Luke Bowen, the general manager for Northern Australia Trade and Development.

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In 2016 she was ranked number one in the NT News’ list of the Territory’s most powerful people.

She left her role at the NTCA last year but is still active on a number of boards including the North Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency, where she has worked alongside former chief minister Shane Stone in the wake of last year’s devastating floods.

The CLP tried to convince Ms Hayes to run for its Senate position following Nigel Scullion’s resignation earlier this year but she declined for family reasons.

Ms Hayes described herself as a “moderate conservative” and said that she’d decided to join the CLP earlier this year because her values aligned with the party. Asked whether the party had recovered from its disastrous stint in office from 2012 to 2016, she said: “I think the CLP has made steps in the right direction in repairing and rebuilding faith and trust in Territorians and I think that there’s still work to be done and I’d like to be part of that process.”