Royal commission needed to look at NT’s books: MLA

NEWLY independent Member for Stuart Scott McConnell wants a royal commission into the Northern Territory but he swears he’s not just a “lunatic from the Central Desert”.

Independent MLAs Yingiya Guyula and Scott McConnell are calling for a royal commission into the Northern Territory. Picture: Amos Aikman

NEWLY independent Member for Stuart Scott McConnell wants a royal commission into the Northern Territory.

But he swears he’s not just a “lunatic from the Central Desert”.

Speaking in parliament late last night, Mr McConnell said he called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to support the commission which focus on the Territory’s “economic sustainability and structural integrity”.

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Mr McConnell said the current economic crisis was putting the Territory’s self-government at risk.

The debt crisis, barriers to indigenous economic participation, underspend by successive governments on initiatives to reduce indigenous disadvantage and undue influence of the public sector had for years stopped Territory governments from achieving structural reforms, he said.

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“Our government is currently unsustainable and has demonstrated they do not have the capacity to deal with the systemic issues,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said Mr McConnell’s push for a royal commission was “ridiculous”.

“That is basically sending decision making to Canberra and getting a bunch of southern bureaucrats to come here and look at the Northern Territory rather than local decision making and doing the hard and heavy lifting ourselves,” she said.

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But it had support from independents Yingiya Guyula, Jeff Collins, Terry Mills and Robyn Lambley.

“We need help. Territorians are expressing a need for intervention of some sort. We can see where it is going and it is grim and diabolical,” Ms Lambley said.