COVID-19 and opposition reasons for scrapping scrutiny: Manison

DEPUTY Chief Minister Nicole Manison has claimed that it will be the opposition’s fault if the NT Government isn’t scrutinised for legislation as it looks to scrap an oversight body

DEPUTY Chief Minister Nicole Manison has claimed that any lack of scrutiny over proposed legislative reforms would be because of poor leadership of opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro.

It comes as the NT Government seeks to abolish the Scrutiny Committee, which was formed in 2016.

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Ms Manison also claimed that the Legislative Assembly needed to be unshackled in the face of COVID-19.

“At a time when we’ve got COVID-19, we need parliaments to be agile and to be very fast and responsive,” she said yesterday.

Mining and Production Results Nicole Manison holds a press conference. Picture Katrina Bridgeford.

“We don’t think (the Scrutiny Committee) responds to the needs of the Territory right now.”

Ms Manison said that the bigger CLP opposition meant the Scrutiny Committee was no longer needed.

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro said the changes were a “backflip”. Picture Katrina Bridgeford.

“We have a much bigger opposition now, and now it’s up to them to do their job,” she said.

“If they can’t do that, well that says something about the leadership of Lia Finocchiaro.”

Ms Finocchiaro yesterday slammed the changes in the Legislative Assembly, saying they would reduce oversight.

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“Instead of having it be a full day dedicated to scrutinising government, we get to spend the afternoon listening to you guys pat yourselves on the back and tell each other how wonderful you are,” she said.

“Well Territorians are sick of it.”