Lawson Broad elected new president of CLP over Fiona Darcy

The CLP has elected a new party president two years out from the next election. See what their priorities are.

The Country Liberals has elected Lawson Broad as new party president.

Mr Broad was elected on Saturday with overwhelming party support at the party’s annual conference. He replaces previous president Fiona Darcy.

Chief executive of Somerville Community Services since October 2017, Mr Broad has private and public sector experience including managing his own transport company, enterprise development manager with Mission Australia and chief of staff for then minister of education, lands planning, environment and housing Peter Chandler.

Mr Broad said it was a privilege to be appointed CLP president.

“We are now two years out from the next Northern Territory election and I look forward to working with party members, the leader of the Opposition and her team to build a strong alternative for Territorians,” he said.

Mr Broad will stay as chief executive of Somerville Community Services.

“The Fannie Bay by-election result was a huge vote of confidence in the CLP and it is important that we build on that momentum. Discussions over the weekend concentrated on key policy areas of growing our economy, creating safer communities, Indigenous advancement and the environment.

“I have every confidence that the Country Liberal Party has a bright future and will win the confidence of Territorians.”

Mr Broad was briefly chief of staff for current CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro when, aged 28, she became the Territory’s youngest ever minister. He also worked as an adviser to Terry Mills leading before the CLP’s 2012 election win, as director of regional affairs in the Mills-Giles CLP government and briefly as deputy chief of staff to former Opposition leader Gary Higgins.

Mr Broad had a stint working for now Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro. Picture: Floss Adams.

He was director of land and economic development with Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment as well as executive director of housing supply with Department of Housing.

When the CLP led by Terry Mills defeated Paul Henderson’s Labor government in 2012, Mr Broad was praised by senior party officials for his work co-ordinating the party’s remote and regional election campaign

Since 2001, the CLP has only won a single northern suburbs seat in Territory elections.

Former Territory chief minister and CLP president Shane Stone said Mr Broad’s presidency of the party would be crucial leading into the next Territory election.

“I’ve known him a long time, I knew him as a young fellow and I think the CLP is very lucky to attract someone of his talent and ability to take on the role,” Mr Stone said.

“It’s critically important going into the next election.

Former chief minister and CLP president Shane Stone

“In every sense he’s very well credentialed and well qualified and has experience working with the parliamentary wing as well as the administrative wing.”

Mr Stone said the challenge now was for the CLP to tap into the mood for political change in the Territory and translate it into electoral victory.

“The real issues for the Northern Territory are law and order and economic recovery and nothing else matters,” he said.

“Law and order and the local economy are linked issues. I think Lia’s team is really resonating in the parliament and refreshingly so.”

Mr Stone said the new president’s role was to build strong numbers and support around Lia and her parliamentary team and to provide the foundation for a credible challenge to government.

He cautioned the CLP against targeting public sector jobs at the next election.

“There is a real mood for change on the street but translating that into electoral victory is another matter,” he said.

“One of the great challenges remains the NTPS numbers.

“I’ve never sacked a single public servant because the reality is there’s a high-level of churn in the NT Public Service and it manages itself so people should not be apprehensive or fearful that a change of government somehow leads to job losses. I just don’t believe that to be the case.”

Rolf Gerritsen, professorial research fellow at Charles Darwin University agreed the public service was crucial to securing enough CLP votes to win the August 2024 election.

Between NT self-government in 1978 and Labor’s 2001 electoral success, the CLP won eight Territory elections.

“The CLP desperately needs new blood, which I presume was part of the reason behind the push for Lawson Broad,” Dr Gerritsen said.

“The CLP once was one of the great mass parties of history. In the early 1980s they had about 5000 members in an electorate of 55,000 people. It was bigger than the Chinese Communist Party.

Academic Rolf Gerritsen, social researcher, based at Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs

“The decline was gradual and partly the reality of office. Over time they disappointed their supporters, some dropped off and new people moved here. You can’t avoid that with an extended period of government and that creates its own peril.

“The problem in the 1980s was the CLP was a good-old-boys type party and Darwin grew up. In the early days Darwin was a very working class town and by the turn of the century it had become a middle class city, with books clubs and coffee shops.

“In the 80s the public service was fiercely loyal to the CLP and then that dropped off, the electorate changed and they haven’t fully adapted that the electorate is very different to what it was in the 80s.”

While in a position to win the next election, he says electoral success won’t come easily.

“The CLP could win the next election by saying they will double public service pay,” Dr Gerritsen said.

“The core problem of Territory politics is what to do about the public service.

“To do something about Territory debt you have to do something about the public service. It’s too big, too top heavy and too much in Darwin. They will have to convince public servants nobody’s going to get sacked. Northern suburbs public servants have the crucial votes.”

In other moves at the party conference, Terri Hart and Sean Heenan were elected CLP vice-presidents while Tony Schelling was elected general secretary.

Opposition leader Mrs Lia Finocchiaro thanks Ms Darcy for her service as president.

“I want to thank Fiona Darcy for her stewardship of the party and the encouraging results in the Fannie Bay by-election,” she said.

“I look forward to working with Lawson Broad who brings a wealth of experience to the role as we charge towards the 2024 general election.”