Shadow Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Steve Edgington, says the report of the Privileges Committee, released today shows, the Gunner Labor Government’s attempts to silence him have failed.
“I have found myself at the pointy end of an intense campaign to be publicly hung, drawn and quartered by a government that is intent on stifling any opinion or position that differs in any way from its own.
“Allegations of misrepresentation regarding the delivery of housing under the Barkly Regional Deal were levelled against me during a debate on 27 October 2021, and those allegations were also shared publically on a number of occasions.
“The following day, the Chair of the Privileges Committee, Natasha Fyles spoke about the matter on Mix104.9’s The Week That Was. On three separate occasions she repeated the allegation that I had misled Parliament. For anyone listening, they could have reasonably concluded that I was already guilty of that serious offence.
“Today’s report is vindication, but it does not erase the harm that has been done, both to myself and to this Assembly.
“The Privileges Committee is reserved for only the most serious allegations of misleading the Northern Territory Parliament. The Committee has within its powers the ability to impose serious penalties, including a term of imprisonment. Imagine that, a prison sentence for a chain of events set off by a two word interjection.
“The Privileges Committee has three (3) criteria it must consider on referral, and the report shows clearly that none of those were even facially met.
“The greatest joke of all, is that Minister Paech of all people knows (or should know) that the Barkly Regional Deal is delivering housing in the Barkly and an article printed in the NT News on 3 November 2021 quotes the Minister for Remote Housing as saying “the new homes are a key part of the Barkly Regional Deal”.
“A media release sent to stakeholders by Minister Paech himself states: “The new homes are a key deliverable against the Barkly Regional Deal, Australia’s first Regional Deal, which provides many benefits to the region ….”
“According to Minister Paech’s own media release, I did not mislead Parliament.
“The Barkly Regional Deal, a document I campaigned for and signed whilst Mayor of the Barkly, plainly shows that housing is being delivered under the deal. The Minister’s lack of understanding of his own portfolio is astonishing and this whole saga speaks volumes about his poor performance as a minister.
“Today, to top off his poor performance, he shut down debate on the Committee’s Report like a coward. He didn’t want to hear what parliamentarians had to say about the Privileges Committee report.
“This whole episode is just the latest in a deep-rooted, ugly and sustained abuse of process by this scandal-plagued Gunner Labor government led by a Chief Minister who hides from responsibly and scrutiny at every turn.
“The Gunner Labor Government has shown all the hallmarks of authoritarianism, but falls short even in that respect. It is no wonder they have to resort to dirty tricks, because their economic, social and housing policies have failed.
“This episode is just one in a myriad of sideshows the Gunner Government has implored to distract from the real issues: Labor has crippled the Territory’s economy, Labor’s health crisis has pushed the Territory’s health system to the brink of collapse and Labor’s failure to keep the public safe means Territorians are being victimised and brutalised at reprehensible rates.
“It is clear that the Gunner Labor Government does not fully understand the Barkly or the needs of the region. I will await a public apology, both to myself and to the people of the Barkly,” said Mr Edgington.
ENDS