Independent Gerry Wood sides with Labor to avert Northern Territory poll

LABOR will hold on to power in the Northern Territory after independent member for Nelson Gerry Wood sided with the Government.

LABOR will hold on to power in the Northern Territory after independent member for Nelson Gerry Wood sided with the Government in a no-confidence motion brought in parliament this morning.

Mr Wood, who holds the balance of power in the 25-seat legislative assembly, delivered a speech on the floor of parliament this morning confirming he would vote against the no-confidence motion.

His decision allows Chief Minister Paul Henderson to remain in power to lead a minority government.

The crisis was triggered last week after indigenous policy minister Alison Anderson quit the Government in protest at its management of the $672m Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program.

Mr Wood told parliament he would agree to support the Henderson Government's future supply and appropriation bills, and would also vote against any no-confidence motion in the Government except in cases of corruption or serious maladministration.

But in return, he extracted promises from the chief minister on parliamentary reform, a review of the location of a new Darwin prison, property law reforms and public housing.

Mr Wood said he was using the extraordinary turn of events in NT politics as a “unique opportunity to try and change things”.

He said government in the NT had been “stifled by party politics” and called for a radical change to the territory's political culture.

He has extracted a promise from the chief minister to refer the $672m SIHIP to a new Council of Territory Cooperation that will be made up of six members of the legislative assembly, including two Labor members, two Country Liberals members, and at least one independent.

An emotional Mr Wood said sending the territory to an election would have been the “easy way out”.

“This has been the hardest decision that I have ever had to make” he told parliament. “I see this as an opportunity for me to bring change and to bring all sides of government into the decision-making.”