NT Election: Former Councillor Justine Glover announces run for Karama as an Independent

Justine Glover says she is a choice for people who are ‘sick of Labor and don’t trust the CLP’, as she takes on popular Territory Families Minister Ngaree Ah Kit.

Justine Glover has announced she will contest the seat of Karama as an Independent in the 2024 NT general election. Picture: Supplied.

Former Darwin City Councillor Justine Glover will contest the seat of Karama as an Independent at this year’s Northern Territory general election.

Ms Glover said Karama was being ignored by the government, and Territorians had been let down by the party system.

“The major parties aren’t listening, and they’re not representing the people,” she said.

Crime, public housing, and supporting small businesses were a focus of her campaign.

“It’s almost as if the government has said to Karama, ‘You’re a crime ridden suburb, live with it’,” she said.

“It’s not always been like this, and I believe Karama has a beautiful core of good hearted people.”

Ms Glover in 2020, calling for a new music festival for Karama. Picture: Che Chorley

Ms Glover said it was “not okay” people felt unsafe in their homes and on the streets,

and that police were not equipped to deal with current crime rates.

“We’re not going to arrest ourselves out of this wicked problem,” she said.

“Part of that is truly recognising and understanding all of the trauma Aboriginal communities are going through.”

The effects of trauma were something that also showed through public housing, she said, condemning the state of some homes people in her electorate were left to inhabit.

“Piles of rubbish, no furniture or belongings because people constantly breaking in and stealing things – the government has shown they can’t handle public housing,” she said.

“That’s why they’re handing control of public housing over to community providers – it’s something residents are really worried about.”

Ms Glover said too much focus was put on big business in the Territory.

“More than 95 per cent of businesses in the NT are small-businesses, and they’re really struggling because of crime and cost of living pressures,” she said.

A registered nurse, Ms Glover moved to the Territory for a year-long stint almost three decades ago and never left, going on to raise her family in the Top End.

She served for almost eight years as a City of Darwin Alderman before stepping down from the role in 2022.

Karama is currently represented by Territory Families Minister Ngaree Ah Kit, who has held the seat since 2016 when she was controversially preselected by Labor ahead of former party leader Delia Lawrie.

Ms Ah Kit won comfortably in 2020 with more than half the primary vote.