All your questions answered on Blain MLA Mark Turner’s potential future in parliament

Blain MLA Mark Turner was booted from Labor caucus but remains in parliament. What happens now? Will he resign? Can MLAs be punted? YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED>>>

QUESTIONABLE behaviour by Blain MLA Mark involving an extramarital affair, the lack of concern about his lover’s illicit drug use and allegedly telling the Chief Minister porky pies has resulted in the first-term MLA being booted from the Labor team.

He remains an MLA and has not indicated what he will do next.

But all things considered, what is likely to happen?

First, a summary of what Labor said to Mark Turner, in GIF form.

Turner could stick it out for the rest of the term but history says otherwise

There is little stopping Mr Turner keeping his seat and his $156,000+ minimum annual salary for the rest of the parliamentary term, which ends in 2024.

But as history shows, NT MLAs who are kicked out of the team usually spend no more than a year playing nigel no friends on the backbench or they become an independent, to varying degrees of success.

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In late 2018 Labor MLAs Jeff Collins, Scott McConnell and Ken Vowles were booted from caucus, just as Mr Turner was.

By February 2019, Mr Collins had quit the Labor Party to sit as an independent and later joined Territory Alliance.

The then- Fong Lim MLA said he was told by Labor caucus to vote as the government votes as he was still a Labor Party member. He said he could not do this in good conscience, so he went independent.

Jeff Collins, former Fong Lim MLA. Picture: Justin Kennedy

Terry Mills, former Blain MLA. Only non-sex scandaled Blain MLA in the last 22 years, for the record. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

Interestingly, Mr McConnell never quit the Labor Party but told parliament that he would sit as an independent.

Mr Vowles, in November 2019, resigned and triggered the Johnston by-election.

On the other side of politics, Terry Mills spent 11 months on the backbench after being toppled as Chief Minister and ultimately resigned.

Of course this triggered the Blain by-election, which gave us Nathan Barrett, who got caught up in a sex scandal just months out from an election, and Terry Mills came back and Terry Mills was voted out and Mr Turner was voted in. And here we are.

But there are exceptions to the rule, mainly for MLAs that tell their parties to go shove a cracker up their proverbial clackers.

Goyder MLA Kezia Purick and Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley were both CLP members once upon a time and have both won successive elections as independents and/or members of a fringe political party.

What happens if he resigns?

We go to, yet another, by-election for Blain.

Of the 24 by-elections held in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly’s history, seats have only changed hands thrice.

In other words, statistically, there’s an 87.5 per cent chance Labor would retake the seat of Blain if Turner resigned. Noting this does not take in other factors, like who is the government of the day.

One notable by-election was the one sparked by Marshall Perron’s (CLP, second longest serving Chief Minister) resignation from the seat of Fannie Bay which gave the Territory Clare Martin (Labor, first and longest serving female Chief Minister).

It’s actually quite hard to be punted from NT Parliament House once you’re elected.

Can an MLA be punted from parliament before an election?

Yes, but the disqualifying factors are few.

An MLA can be disqualified if they become an undischarged bankrupt, stop being an Australian citizen, or land a paid public service job (other than being an MLA).

They also get kicked out if they are convicted of a crime and sent to prison for one year or more.

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These are all reasons that would stop someone running for election in the first place.

Other reasons include being unqualified or unentitled to vote in an NT election, such as losing their citizenship or permanently moving overseas or interstate.

Punting also happens if an MLA is found to be corrupt.

An MLA can also be booted out if they don’t rock up for parliament for three straight sitting days without permission.

What’s the bare minimum for attendance then?

Under one of the rules of parliament, an MLA cannot leave the chamber in the first five minutes of a sitting day, unless there’s 10 other MLAs present, which is the minimum number of politicians the parliament needs in the room to make the meeting valid.

It appears all you need to do is rock up, show your face for five minutes and you’re good.

Mr Turner was in parliament for about 10 minutes on Tuesday before leaving and on Wednesday he was in the chamber for an hour during the first part of the day.