A new era in Territory
politics? - here's hoping

Maggie Hickey, Member for Barkly

By now many of you would know that I have stood down as Leader of the Opposition. I made this decision knowing that it would be impossible for me to meet the demands of the position while concentrating on helping John fight cancer. John has recovered well from his operation and in the next few weeks I will be travelling to and from Melbourne as he undergoes intensive radiotherapy. Thank you to all who have supported us through this time.
While standing down from the Leader's position, I have no intention of relinquishing the role of Member for Barkly. Being the Member for Barkly has added much to mine and John's life and we are both committed to me continuing to represent the electorate and to fight for the issues that are important to people who live in this part of the Northern Territory.
Leaving the Leader's position was made easier following the election of Clare Martin as the new leader. Clare Martin along with Syd Stirling as Deputy Leader and Peter Toyne as Whip provides us with a good balance between the urban and remote seats and with a team with diverse skills and knowledge. All of us in the Labor team will be working to ensure the needs of all Territorians are represented and to prove that Labor offers a real and better alternative to the current Government.
I can only hope that with the resignation of Shane Stone QC as the Chief Minister, we will see an end to the divisive, confrontational and bullying tactics used by the Country Liberal Party. Since being elected Chief Minister, Denis Burke has been busy repeating and repeating the words..honest, open and accountable Government. It's almost as if these words have just been discovered.
However, a new leader could herald a new era. There are some indicators that make me optimistic that just maybe the days of race based and stand over politics is over. In parliament last week Denis Burke said:
"What opportunities will continue to be lost if Aboriginal Territorians are left out of our future? What chance is there for economic progress when so much Territory land is tied up in legal dispute or tied down as inalienable holdings?"
This is definitely a change of approach and direction. We have also had the Central Council of the Country Liberal Party calling for more resources for Night Patrols and putting up options for constructively dealing with the issue of public drunkenness instead of the stomping and monstering mentality of the past leadership. This is what Labor has been saying for a long time now and it is encouraging to see the Country Liberal Party being prepared to eat humble pie and take on Labor's ideas.
While these indicators are promising, we still have the new Chief Minister refusing to consider Freedom of Information legislation and of course he has been the force behind the privatisation of ALL our public hospitals. Labor does not support this push whatsoever. The impact of this push particularly on remote areas will be disastrous. Services will be cut, after all it's about making profits. Jobs lost, again to maximise profit. The companies interested in taking over the hospital will have no local knowledge in regard to the special health needs in the Territory and remote areas. The reasons to fight this push are many. The Country Liberal Party cannot be allowed to do this.
Privatisation of our public hospitals and the Planning for Growth debacle which will hit remote area public services very hard are examples of the Country Liberal Party's agenda to opt out of their responsibilities.
The new Chief Minister has much work to do if he wants to mend the harm and ill will his predecessor caused with his style of leadership. While I am cautiously optimistic that we will see a change for the better … the umpire's still out on that one.