Matt Cunningham opinion: Chief attack an appalling display

You really have to wonder what we have become after the appalling behaviour at the Nightcliff markets when we have the right to elections, writes Matt Cunningham.

What have we become?

You really have to wonder after the appalling events of last Sunday when a disgruntled constituent allegedly thought it appropriate to direct a cream crepe towards the face of Chief Minister Natasha Fyles.

One of the unique things about Territory politics is the access constituents have to their elected representatives.

If you live in Victoria or New South Wales, your chances of having a one-on-one conversation with a Minister, let alone the Premier, are almost zero.

Here in the Territory it’s a very different story.

The moment Chief Minister Natasha Fyles was struck in the face with a cream crepe.

Former Attorney-General John Elferink used to spend many-a-lunchtime propped on his chair in the Smith Street Mall engaging in conversations with the masses.

Take a stroll through the Todd Mall on market day in Alice Springs and you’ll struggle not to trip over one of the Territory or Federal MPs out pressing the flesh.

But the all-time champion of “direct voter contact” has been Natasha Fyles.

Most Sundays for the past 11 years, Fyles could be found at the Nightcliff markets, ready to have a chat with anyone and everyone.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison at the press conference in Berrimah Exports Yards, NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

It was a routine she continued, even after becoming Chief Minister.

You didn’t need to make a $5000 donation for access.

You simply needed to turn up to have your say.

But that might have changed last Sunday.

The sight of the clearly shocked Chief Minister, filmed as the crepe was received by her face, was a dark day for our democracy.

We might wonder how we arrived here. There’s little doubt social media is changing the way we interact.

Facebook and Twitter, in particular, have given people a licence to hurl unfiltered abuse.

Over time, the online vitriol has started to spill over into real life.

In most cases it is those on the fringes of the far right and far left who seem incapable of exhibiting the kind of reasonable self-control we once taught our children around about the same time they learnt to walk.

Four months before Fyles and the cream pie, she was set upon by anti-fracking protesters while competing in a fun-run in Central Australia.

Central Australian Frack Free Alliance protesters voiced their concerns against fracking next to Chief Minister Natasha Fyles in Alice Springs over the weekend. Picture: CAFFA

Demonstrators chased her down the running track, reducing her to tears.

This is remarkable considering Fyles is probably the most left-wing chief minister this jurisdiction has ever had.

Two years ago, anti-vaccination protesters shouted out the home address of then-chief minister Michael Gunner at a Darwin rally.

The ideologues of the far right and far left have a few things in common.

They’ve clearly spent too much time going down a social media rabbit hole, and they believe their very existence is threatened by the actions of their government.

None of this is to say our politicians don’t deserve scrutiny.

Suzi Milgate at the Milgate Real Estate in Cullen Bay. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

This column has provided plenty of it over the past six years.

But there’s a line that should be drawn between criticism and physical violence.

This government is far from perfect, and there are many people who no doubt feel let down by some of its decisions.

Crime has been rising for years and government policies to address the issue have seemed counter-productive.

The economy is stuck in first gear. And perhaps most concerningly, Labor’s grand promise to restore integrity to government now reads like a piece of satire.

But the answer to these issues is not to get physical with the woman in charge.

One of the great things about living in a democracy is that every few years, every adult citizen gets the opportunity to have their say about who governs them.

If you’re not happy with this government, you get the chance to change that next year.

That’s a privilege millions of people all over the world would literally die for.