2024 NT election: Port Darwin candidate Janey Davies says ‘toxic’ fifth floor culture helped inspire political bid

Janey Davies was booted from the Chief Minister’s office after punching a charity boss on a flight. Here’s why the ‘toxic’ experience inside parliament inspired her to enter politics.

Janey Davies is running as an independent candidate for Port Darwin at the 2024 NT general election. Picture: Supplied.

A Darwin grandmother says she was inspired to run for politics after being fired from the Chief Minister’s office for punching a charity boss on board a flight.

Independent candidate for Port Darwin Janey Davies said she was given no support from colleagues through the ordeal, and her “absolute nightmare” experience working on parliament’s fifth floor sparked her ambition to reform the NT public service.

Ms Davies was hired as a receptionist by the Michael Gunner government in September 2016, two months before being found guilty of committing an act of violence on an aircraft over an altercation with then Anglicare NT executive Angela Shima.

“On the Monday after I was put on the front page of the NT News without my permission, everyone on level five knew and they didn’t protect me,” Ms Davies said.

“I got a call from (the chief of staff) and he told me I was dismissed under the ministerial code of conduct – but I am not a minister, I’m a receptionist, this is my private life.

“I wasn’t expecting to lose the case – it was a kangaroo court … I’d had my character assassinated and I was defamed – one of the reasons I’m running is because the NT public service is very toxic, executives are given too much power over non-executives.”

Janey Davies. Picture: Supplied.

Also on Ms Davies agenda for the CBD seat is to increase integrity in government, review the leasing of Darwin Port to Chinese-owned Landbridge, and strengthen environmental laws.

“We need a review of the ICAC, a review of whistleblower laws and to speed up Freedom of Information requests,” she said.

“We also need to do more to prevent crime – current legislation is letting down the whole community on crime, perpetrators and victims.”

She called for a reinvestment in mental health and alcohol programs to help bring down rates of self harm and break the cycle of imprisonment for victimless crimes.

Ms Davies was a founding member of Friends of Lee Point, a group opposed to development at Lee Point, and said she was “totally against a petrochemical hub at Middle Arm”.

Janey Davies. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Davies did not enter a guilty plea at her November 17, 2016, Darwin Local Court hearing.

The judge accepted the prosecution’s version of events that Ms Davies was pushing aggressively on Ms Shima’s chair as a Sydney to Darwin flight came in to land.

Ms Shima told the court at the time she had looked back between the seats when “the woman behind me reached through the chairs and punched me and then pulled my hair”.

Ms Davies was given a 12-month good behaviour bond.