One Nation Lingiari candidate Sakellarios Bairamis defends brushes with the law

A One Nation candidate for the NT electorate of Lingiari has defended previous brushes with the law, while campaigning on a crime and community safety platform.

A One Nation candidate for the Northern Territory electorate of Lingiari has defended his previous brushes with the law, while campaigning on a crime and community safety platform.

Sakellarios ‘Charlie’ Bairamis, 40, has faced the Darwin Local Court for three separate matters over the past six years, including a minor drug crime and what he claims were politically motivated prosecutions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

One Nation candidate for Lingiari in the 2025 federal election, Sakellarios Bairamis. Picture: Supplied.

In June 2019 Mr Bairamis was fined $1150 for possessing a thing to administer drugs.

“It was just a bong in my car,” he said.

“I was young, it was a few years back, there was a few things going on in my life, of course I regret it, everyone makes mistakes.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Bairamis organised illegal rallies in Darwin against the vaccine mandate.

While he “thinks vaccines are good”, Mr Bairamis said he believed people should have a choice about what goes into their bodies.

After one rally in early 2022 Mr Bairamis was charged with taking part in a parade, walking without due care on a road, and entering a pedestrian crossing on a red light.

Bairamis in Alice Springs Monday, March 3, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazakov

He avoided a conviction after pleading guilty, was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and made to pay $450 in victims levies.

“They literally came to my house and arrested me in front of my children for running a pedestrian crossing? They just wanted to stop the protests,” he claimed.

“I don’t regret what I stood for.”

Later that year Mr Bairamis was fined $5024 for contravening an emergency declaration after someone reported him for not wearing a mask at a supermarket.

Mr Bairamis said he told police he had a medical exemption due to his asthma, but was forced to challenge the fine in court.

Prosecutors dropped the case 11 months later.

Mr Bairamis’ – a first time political candidate – said successive governments’ failure to address crime in the Northern Territory was one of the key issues that inspired him to nominate this election.

He called for stronger measures to tackle crime, including early intervention, tougher sentencing, and better rehabilitation programs to ensure young people have the support and discipline they need to become productive members of society.

As for his own past, “I took accountability”, he said.

“I’ve realised what I’ve done, I paid those fines.

“It’s all about accountability, about rehabilitation and making people turn their lives around.

“We need real solutions that not only hold offenders accountable but also provide opportunities for young people to break the cycle of crime.”

A father of five living in the Top End rural area, Mr Bairamis has worked as a roofer and therapeutic care worker, and says he has also experienced first hand the cost of living pressures families face.

“Everyday Australians are working harder but getting nowhere because of reckless government spending and skyrocketing costs,” he said.

“We need affordable energy, fair wages, and policies that prioritise Australian families over foreign interests.”

Originally published as One Nation Lingiari candidate Sakellarios Bairamis defends brushes with the law