Being a Territorian in exile, I like to keep abreast of developments on the home front by watching ABC Darwin and reading the NT News website. In the last few days I haven’t had to, as just about every newspaper in the country was talking about Nigel Scullion’s impromptu stairwell conference.
The NT’s other Senator is Labor warhorse Trish Crossin. She in turn also missed a Senate vote because she was in the ABC radio studio, lambasting Scullion for missing a vote. Really.
Which highlights a key fact about NT politics: as a rule, the better class of politician in the NT doesn’t go into Federal politics, they focus on the NT Legislative Assembly. For a federal politician, the NT is too far and too sparsely populated to form the kind of power base ambitious climbers usually rely on. This is in contrast, I think, to everywhere else in the country, where smart and ambitious types go to Canberra, dreaming of Prime Ministry.
Of course the NT isn’t completely unlike the rest of the country. Local councils have often been sheltered workshops for wannabe politicos and washed up old hacks, just like elsewhere (though some of Darwin’s Lord Mayors have been great. Some of them less so).
On a related note: does anyone know when the aliens will be bringing Damien Hale back?
Oh, the Northern Territory. Not the Australian Capital Territory.
A word in support of Warren Snowdon. It’s his birthday today.
Your point about Territory v. Federal politics is a strange one. There are basically two opportunities for each side of politics in the national arena. Even Warren lost his seat once. Senators face re-electioon every 3 years unlike their State colleagues who can hold the government to ransom up to 6 years afterwards.
Incidentally one of the best ALP branches I’ve been a member of was the Katherine one. In the safest CLP seat.