The sacking of two senior public servants from Chief Minister’s office shows election mode is in full swing

THE shock news that Chief Minister Michael Gunner had moved on his two most senior staffers — Alf Leonardi and Kieran Phillips — proves one very important point.

Alf Leonardi (centre) with Michael Gunner and Prince Charles in Darwin last year

THERE’S only 368 days until the 2020 Territory election.

The shock news that Chief Minister Michael Gunner had moved on his two most senior staffers — Alf Leonardi and Kieran Phillips — proves one very important point.

That is, it’s now all systems go as Labor tries desperately to hang onto power for another four years post August 2020.

Make no mistake, a Labor loss from a majority of 18 seats in the 2016 election would be one of the greatest chokes in Australian election history.

The sacking of Leonardi and Phillips shows this government is in full panic mode.

It proves that Gunner believed that if he kept both of them in their positions, there was a very real chance Labor could lose the unloseable election.

WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT ON THE FIFTH FLOOR

Now he has cleared the decks at the top, Gunner now has a chance to show his true colours.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Chief is that he has always been seen to be Leonardi’s puppet.

Gunner has ever so slowly grown into the role as leader but this next 12 months will make or break him and his government.

There are some important projects on the horizon for the future of the Territory and Gunner knows all too well that stability in the ministerial ranks is an important look for voters.

This should also be a wake-up to call to under-performing ministers to lift their game — and there are a few.

With Leonardi and Phillips now gone, the question interest groups have is: “Is Gunner’s office now open for business?”