The Northern Territory government has survived a motion of no confidence despite chief minister Adam Giles coming under withering attack from the opposition and his own MPs during a marathon debate on Tuesday.
Opposition leader Delia Lawrie said the Country Liberal Party (CLP) government had made the territory a “national joke”, while sacked minister Robyn Lambley called on Giles to resign in the wake of this month’s failed leadership spill.
However, the motion was defeated 13 votes to 10 late on Tuesday afternoon. Shortly before the vote Lawrie said it was extraordinary that Giles was not there to defend his government against “the most serious motion that can be debated.”
Giles and colleagues repeatedly left the chambers during Labor speeches.
Only one government MP, John Elferink, the leader of government business, spoke in favour of Giles, saying the administration was proud of its achievements, and said any achievements by Labor in government were “rare oases in a desert of non-functionality”.
As Giles endured a succession of attacks from MPs labelling him “untrustworthy” and “toxic”, Lambley launched an explosive tirade against his leadership and called for him to resign.
Lambley has been on the backbench since being removed from government for her part in a farcical attempted leadership spill against Giles.
She said she would abstain from the vote because she could not support the government, but she could not vote with the opposition, whose ranks were “equally volatile”.
“The political instability in our government remains unresolved, it is not over,” said Lambley. “Delia Lawrie, leader of the opposition, is just as unpopular with her colleagues as our leader, Adam Giles, is with his.”
While she would “always” have faith in the Country Liberal party (CLP), Lambley said: “I do not have faith in the leadership of Adam Giles. I do not have faith in Adam Giles. Adam Giles was voted out of the position of chief minister … just 22 days ago. Nine members of his team decided they no longer have faith in his leadership.”
“I believe Adam Giles needs to step down from his position and give us all an opportunity to rebuild before we lose everything,” said Lambley.
In the bitter stoush for leadership earlier this month, Giles threatened to bring down the government before he would resign from the top job, Lambley said.
She said Giles’s “arrogance and general dishonesty” was eroding any confidence the party had in him, and she could not support a government that kept Giles and the treasurer, Dave Tollner, in the leadership.
“My intent is not to tear down this government … but to be a voice of truth and reason,” she said.
The independent MP Gerry Wood thanked Lambley for “one of the most honest speeches given in this parliament”. He said he would abstain because “it should be a motion of no confidence in all of us”.
“I am not responsible for bringing this government down. The government is responsible, it should say it is not fit to govern the territory.”
In introducing the motion, Lawrie accused the government and Giles of being arrogant, dysfunctional, incompetent and out of touch, and pointed to numerous scandals and contentious issues including the privatisation of Territory Insurance Office, the potential lease of Darwin port, and the alleged CLP slush fund, Foundation 51.
The reinstatement of Tollner as the treasurer and his appointment as the minister for major developments showed “an absolute and fundamental lack of judgment”.
Despite denying the motion speech was an election manifesto, Lawrie said if Labor won an election it would establish an independent commission against corruption.
The independent member for Arnhem, Larissa Lee, accused Giles of being a liar and of putting a “wedge between people” and running a “toxic” leadership.
Lee is a former CLP member who left the party with two other MPs last year after accusing it of failing people in the bush.
“You came along from the Blue Mountains with your little shovel and decided you wanted to be the top dog of the NT,” Lee said to Giles.
She also used highly charged and offensive language against the chief minister and was asked to withdraw statements more than once.
“He changed his portfolios at a whim, rewarding those who were yes men and yes women, and punishing those who disagreed with him, even publicly abusing them” Lee told the parliament.
Labor MP Lauren Moss went to the CLP’s cuts to services since gaining power. “How does one sleep at night knowing they’ve cut resources to youth services, education and child protection with minimal consultation,” she asked.
Moss also spoke of the 14 cabinet reshuffles since the election.
“Two chief ministers - nearly three, five deputy chief ministers - nearly six, three police ministers, five treasurers, five education ministers, five housing ministers, five sport ministers, five business ministers, and a partridge in a pear tree,” said Moss.
“It’s kind of like an episode of the Walking Dead where we’re all waiting to see who will be resurrected next and when.”
