Natasha Fyles speaks for the first time as incoming NT Chief Minister
Incoming Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has promised a unified and stable front, despite foreshadowing a cabinet reshuffle in coming weeks.
Northern Territory
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UPDATE 1PM: INCOMING Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has promised a unified and stable front, despite foreshadowing a cabinet reshuffle in coming weeks.
Ms Fyles was elected by the Labor caucus to replace outgoing Chief Minister Michael Gunner following his shock resignation on Tuesday.
Ms Fyles said it was a unanimous decision by her colleague but there had been “passionate but respectful discussion” among the politicians during the leadership vacuum.
“We’ve stuck together. We have sorted this out quickly and will focus on the real job,” she said.
Ms Fyles was emotional in the press conference, her voice breaking as she accepted the top job after a decade in parliament.
“I know it’s a tough job, but I’m pretty tough. I’m Territory tough,” she said.
“There’ll be easy days, there’ll be hard days.
“I can’t promise every day to make you happy. I cannot fix every problem overnight.
‘But I can guarantee this: I will listen to you. I will always work my hardest for you. And I’ll always put the Territory first.”
She said members of the Cabinet would continue in their current roles for the next week of parliament sittings before meeting again later for a reshuffle.
“Following that a new leadership team and a new cabinet will be formed. And of course there will be some changes.”
Ms Fyles said she would add the outgoing Chief Minister’s portfolios to her already packed resume of Ministries.
Ms Fyles will continue as Health Minister for the next week, as well as becoming Chief Minister, Treasurer, Strategic Defence Relations Minister and Major Projects Minister.
Despite confirming a reshuffle, Ms Fyles would not say who would move in or out of Cabinet or if deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison would keep her position.
She would not clarify if anyone else put their hands up for the top job, repeating that the team was unanimous in its vote.
Ms Fyles said her government would be focused on the major economic and social challenges — including fracking, remote housing and crime — but did not announce any major shifts in policy.
“I don’t shy away from those tough conversations,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a big business or whether you’re a Territory in a remote community, I will be there for you.
“I will provide them stability and unity. But at the same time, I am my own person.
“I will put my own mark on that role. And people will see that over the coming weeks and months.”
Following her opening address Ms Fyles embraced her suspected leadership rival Ms Manison, who has been acting Chief Minister since Mr Gunner’s shock resignation on Tuesday.
Ms Manison also spoke at the press conference saying she was proud to have been in parliament alongside Ms Fyles since her election.
“The team is united and we’re thrilled to have her,” Ms Manison said.
“I see the passion she gives every day to her job for the people at Nightcliff but wide across the Northern Territory too.”
Mr Gunner has also thrown his support behind Ms Fyles, posting to Facebook she was Australia’s “best Health Minister”.
“Congratulations Natasha Fyles: Member for Nightcliff, another Territory born kid who will always put Territorians first,” Mr Gunner said.
Ms Fyles is only the second NT Chief Minister to be born in the Territory.
“I am now raising our two children, Ollie and Henry here in the Territory because it is the best place in the world,” she said.
“I put my hand up to serve because I love this place. I want to work every day to make it better.”
Ms Fyles said she had not yet been in contact with federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who also comes from the Left faction, or Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“As you can imagine, my phone has been very busy,” she said.
“I’ve actually taken my watch off because I couldn’t stand the buzzing any longer.”
In one of the earliest signs of change within the NT government, Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro presented her press conference from on Level 4 of Parliament House, and from the same room that Mr Gunner presented numerous Covid press conferences from.
Ms Finocchiaro congratulated the new Chief Minister for winning a “knives out battle” within Labor.
“She left that meeting without a deputy, without a team, without a plan, without a vision, and without any point of difference from Michael Gunner,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
She said ambiguity over who would make up Labor’s front bench would be a distraction to the government.
Ms Finocchiaro suggested that The Left faction’s “coup” was the result of heavy horse-trading, including with disgraced Blain representative Mark Turner.
She was critical of Ms Fyles and her handling of the $12m Darwin Turf Club grandstand grant as Racing Minister, the calls for a Code Yellow and Code Brown at Royal Darwin hospitals as Health Minister, and the rates of alcohol-related harms as Minister for Alcohol Policy.
“Natasha Fyles has her handprints on every single failed Labor decision,” she said.
Ms Finocchiaro said as Leader of Government Business, Ms Fyles had been responsible for shutting down debate in parliament.
UPDATE 12.30PM:
UPDATE: NATASHA Fyles is the new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
“This morning the caucus has selected me as the unanimous choice for Leader of the Territory Labor Party,” Ms Fyles said in a statement.
“Our united and stable team is now focused on getting on with our first priority – serving Territorians.”
Ms Fyles, from The Left faction, will be sworn in immediately by the Administrator.
It follows a caucus meeting on Friday morning that lasted over an hour.
Michael Gunner’s resignation during his Budget speech on Tuesday sparked an extraordinary week of factional games within Parliamentary Labor as prominent figures within the party jostled for the leadership.
It is not yet clear who will hold the deputy leadership.
There is also expected to be a cabinet reshuffle.
A senior Labor figure hailing from the unsuccessful right faction said the party needed to unify behind the leader.
They said in the condition of anonymity that The Right “weren’t stoked” by the result but that the party needed to back their new leader.
Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who flies in to Darwin on Friday evening, said he knew “Natasha well” and she would make a good Chief Minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison, who had been tipped to take the top job, took to Facebook on Friday morning to congratulate her new leader.
“A huge congratulations to my dear friend and amazing colleague Natasha Fyles … on becoming the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory,” Ms Manison wrote.
“I am incredibly proud of her and know she will do a great job leading our team working to make the Territory a better place for everyone.”
Ms Fyles lives in and represents the electorate of Nightcliff, taking in the suburb of the same name, Coconut Grove and Rapid Creek.
She has been most prominent in recent years in her capacity as Health Minister, where she was key to spearheading the government’s response to Covid-19.
While often overshadowed by Mr Gunner for major announcements for the pandemic, Ms Fyles has proven herself a sturdy operator and unflappable in the press scrum.
She takes the reins of Chief Minister after a meteoric rise in Territory politics.
She was elected in 2012, helped contribute to the party’s landslide victory in 2016 and has held important roles, including leader of government business and Attorney-General.
Ms Fyles is known for her fiery demeanour in Question Time and holds sway on a range of major government portfolios.
Ms Fyles has received both praise and anger over her management of the pandemic as both the Health Minister and National Resilience Minister.
She also heads the portfolios for tourism, major events, racing, gaming and licensing and alcohol policy as well as the Leader of Government Business.
She was also the Racing Minister during the $12m Darwin Turf Club grandstand scandal.
She currently sits on the Privileges, Standing Orders, Standing Committee on the ICAC parliamentary committees.
The former St Mary’s Primary School physical education teacher and Executive Director of Royal Life Saving Society NT won the traditional Labor seat in 2012.
She has held the seat for three terms, which has become the safest electorate in the Territory with a 24.9 per cent majority.
She previously served as the Attorney-General for four years from 2016, before taking on more than six portfolios following the 2020 election.
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