Terry Mills, Robyn Lambley’s bid to establish Northern Territory division of the Nationals clears crucial ­hurdle

TERRY Mills and Robyn Lambley’s bid to establish a Northern Territory division of the Nationals has passed a crucial ­hurdle, with the party’s federal management committee refusing to intervene to stop the move

Terry Mills and Robyn Lambley’s bid to establish a Northern Territory division of the Nationals has passed a crucial ­hurdle

TERRY Mills and Robyn Lambley’s bid to establish a Northern Territory division of the Nationals has passed a crucial ­hurdle, with the party’s federal management committee refusing to intervene to stop the move.

CLP president Ron Kelly flew to Canberra for Tuesday’s committee meeting as the Territory party tried to urge the federal executive to reject a bid to create an NT Nationals division.

“I’m here to say if anyone in Western Australia or New South Wales thinks it’s a good use of time and resources when they have state and ­federal elections coming up, it beggars belief,” Mr Kelly said before the issue was discussed on Tuesday.

It’s understood a motion was floated by the South ­Australian Nationals calling for the federal executive to ­reaffirm support for The ­Nationals’ association with the CLP, but this was never put to a vote after members from Western Australia and New South Wales voiced opposition to the move.

It was suggested this was a matter “the Territory needs to sort out for itself”.

Mr Kelly declined to ­comment after the meeting but it’s understood he held further talks with WA Nationals president James Hayward late ­Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Mills was also due to land in Canberra Tuesday night.

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He and Ms Lambley last week revealed they had been in discussions with the New South Wales branch of the ­Nationals about creating an NT division and challenging for official opposition status in the NT Parliament.

Mr Hayward later voiced his support for the move, telling The Australian a Territory Nationals branch could give the WA Nationals a beachhead from which to attack Labor-held seats in the upper portion of Western Australia.

Before the meeting Mr Kelly said “Terry and Robyn can do whatever they want”, but that he was more interested in his side of politics pulling together to capture the “anybody-but-Labor” voters.

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“I would guess that at the moment the anybody-but-Labor vote would be 60-40 against Labor,” he said.

“My view is that we need to focus our attention on what is a common enemy, which is Labor.

“How many more empty shopfronts do we have to see, how many more businesses have to be force to lay-off staff just before Christmas, how many more kids have to escape from prison before we realise our prisons are not what we want them to be?”