Independent Goyder MLA Kezia Purick will not recontest seat at August election

Independent MLA Kezia Purick says ‘it’s time’ and she will not recontest her seat in August. Take a look back at the highs, lows, and scandals that have coloured her political career.

Kezia Purick has announced she will retire from politics.

Independent MLA Kezia Purick has announced she will not recontest her seat of Goyder at this year’s Northern Territory election.

Ms Purick said she felt “mixed emotions” stepping away from the seat she has held for 16 years, but noted she was ready to spend more time with her family.

“Today I’m announcing my retirement from parliament, from politics, and as the Member for Goyder – I won’t be contesting the election in August this year,” she told Mix 104.9 on Thursday morning.

“Mixed emotions of course because I have just loved my job … it’s a job like no other.

“But I’ve thought about it for a long time with my partner and talked about it, and if I was to stand again that’s a four-year commitment.

“I’m 66 this year, and I reckon I’ve done my bit, it’s time for someone else to step up. I’m stepping out, I’m just going away – I’m not going far, but it’s just time.

“It’s time for me, and it’s time for my family.”

After 16 years as Goyder MLA, Kezia Purick has announced she will not recontest the seat. Picture: Floss Adams.

Prior to entering parliament, Purick was the chief executive of the NT Minerals Council for 16 years.

She was preselected as the Country Liberal Party candidate for Goyder at the 2008 Territory election, following in the steps of her mother Noel Padgham-Purich who served as an MLA from 1977 to 1997.

While in Opposition, Ms Purick was deputy leader of the CLP, and prior to the 2012 election then-CLP leader Terry Mills indicated she would remain in the position and become Deputy Chief Minister if they won government.

Terry Mills and Kezia Purick in 2008.

But the parliamentary wing of the party intervened to elect Robyn Lambley as deputy leader, while Ms Purick was snubbed a spot in the cabinet and handed the Speaker role.

In the months before Terry Mills was rolled as CLP Chief Minister in March 2013, leaked emails revealed Ms Purick fed embarrassing information about planned CLP cost hikes direct to Labor – contributing to her later being dubbed “Madam Leaker”.

Kezia Purick as Speaker in 2016.

Ms Purick quit the CLP in 2015, citing annoyance at the lack of integrity within the government, but stayed on as Speaker until 2020 when she stood down amid the fallout of an Independent Commissioner against Corruption investigation.

The ICAC found Ms Purick had engaged in “corrupt conduct” by attempting to interfere in the registration of a political party by Mr Mills and Ms Lambley.

She sued the anti-corruption watchdog over the report, reaching an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount.

Last year Ms Purick came under criticism for attending a tobacco industry funded jaunt to South Korea, declining to explain how the trip benefited constituents in her outer Darwin electorate.

Details of the trip and how much it was worth are due to be released next month as part of the Parliament’s members’ register.

The bullet point summary was created with the assistance of AI technology (PaLM2) then edited and approved for publication by an editor.