Revealed: The leaked internal messages plunging the Gunner Government into fresh crisis

THE NT Labor Government has been rocked by a scandal surrounding leaked internal messages between four MLAs. We reveal the transcipt of the messages plunging the Gunner Government into fresh crisis. CLICK on the link in this story

Labor backbenchers Sandra Nelson and Chansey Paech have been revealed as the latest members of government to dump on their own administration

LABOR backbenchers Sandra Nelson and Chansey Paech, who have been caught out criticising the Government in private messages, will be allowed to remain in caucus after having sworn their allegiance to Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

• REVEALED: The transcript of the messages plunging the Gunner Government into fresh crisis

Facebook messages between Mr Paech, Ms Nelson and sacked former Labor members Jeff Collins and Scott McConnell were leaked to media on Wednesday.

Those messages, sent over a number of days, show their discontent with the Government’s fiscal management and with Mr Gunner’s leadership.

They were sent in the days soon after the Government dropped a bombshell review which revealed the Territory was on the brink of economic disaster, borrowing to pay public servants and interest repayments on its debts.

Clockwise, from left, Chief Minister Michael Gunner, Member for Katherine Sandra Nelson and Member for Namatjira Chansey Paech

The first messages were sent the day the NT News ­reported the contents of a leaked email in which then-agriculture minister Ken Vowles took his colleagues to task over the looming disaster.

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In her messages, Ms Nelson said she didn’t care who was responsible for the leak of Mr Vowles’ email.

“At the end of the day — it comes down to who will display true leadership and drive the change that needs to occur as soon as possible to salvage whatever credibility and integrity we have left, and retain whatever support remains,” she wrote.

“And when I say ‘leadership’ I’m not talking about who gets the golden CM guernsey ... I’m talking about true leadership, if you know what I mean.

“The issue now of course is that it seems that nobody has the fortitude to say ‘we’re f**ked, and this is what we’re going to do to not go bankrupt’ (fill in the blanks).”

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The group discussed a rumoured leadership challenge.

Mr Paech joked he could be deputy chief minister, before he said: “No in all honesty we do need to sort this out though!”

Mr Paech said the group should “distance ourselves” from Cabinet.

“Well it’s a pity Gunner can’t be bothered to reach out to his (team) now when there is a crisis. That’s real leadership lol,” he wrote.

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Earlier, he wrote he wouldn’t be “going down with the ship”.

“I want to be here post-2020 and the way we are handling the budget in public is not good ... the lines are stale.”

Mr McConnell, Mr Vowles and Mr Collins were all booted from caucus for dissent in December but Mr Paech and Ms Nelson won’t suffer the same fate after a party room meeting on Wednesday in which they swore allegiance to Mr Gunner.

Attorney-General Natasha Fyles said the leaking of private messages was different to public comments made by the exiled three which led to their sackings.

Mr Collins on Wednesday admitted to circulating the Facebook messages.

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“I printed that off because it appeared people were trying to get rid of it. It isn’t only the four people in that conversation who have a copy of that document,” he said.

Speaking in Parliament, Ms Nelson said the leak was an “act of betrayal”.

She confirmed she would not contest the 2020 election.