Chief Minister Terry Mills has changed the line-up of the Government’s front bench and reshuffled Cabinet.
Member for Katherine, Willem Westra van Holthe, was elected as the Party’s new Deputy Leader following the resignation of Robyn Lambley.
He will take on the Trade, Land Resource Management, and Public Employment portfolios, and retain the Primary Industry and Fisheries, and Mines and Energy portfolios.
Mr Elferink takes on Treasury, and Corporate and Information Services portfolios and retains Attorney-General and Justice, and Correctional Services.
Mrs Lambley will take the Health, Alcohol Rehabilitation and Policy, Business, and Employment and Training portfolios.
The portfolios of Lands, Planning and Environment, Housing, and Education now sit with Mr Chandler.
Mr Giles retains the Transport, Infrastructure, and Local Government portfolios.
Other changes to the Ministry include Alison Anderson gaining the Children and Families portfolio, and Mr Conlan picking up the Central Australia portfolio.
New to Cabinet, Member for Drysdale, Lia Finocchiaro, becomes the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Racing, Young Territorians, Senior Territorians, and Statehood. – NT Government media release
Changing the deckchairs on the Titanic and the Country Liberals have only been in Government for six months!
Oh come on, Desert Rat, can you try a bit harder?
I feel that all this squabbling just adds to the hightened insecurity that some of us in the community are feeling.
While the PW charges may have had to go up, the manner in which it was implemented was brutal, as were the changes to the Homenorth scheme, which helped me keep my head above water and off Centrelink in a time of great need. I do not work at the mines and do not rent out my house, my income is modest and I think it is the same for others on this scheme. I have lived at this address for 23 years, but have been buying for only eight years. At the time prior to buying people were often told that they were a few dollars over the income test limit and they had to move or buy. That typically happens when you have teenagers and need the security more than ever.
The change from the RBA interest rate to that of the CBA is like having five interest rate rises in one go. When I checked it was one of the highest variable interest rates around, and CBA often do not pass on their interest rate cuts. CBA also posted massive profits this year.
It seems to me that this is to encourage / force those on the HN scheme where NT housing has a share, to refinance, so the gov can its (often 29% ) share at market price back. I think it would have been good to means test those on the HN scheme, before taking this action – it won’t take long for some to hit the 30% of income mortgage stress level if the rates rise. Coupled with the rises to PW and the oncoming trickle down effect, there will be some who lose their homes and others who will become working poor. Many single mums have so little super, schemes like the HN one gave, particularly the more mature ones, a bit more security.
It seems the reasons the HN scheme was invented in the first place has been forgotten.
God help the children who are relying on an office led by the CLP for protection. This government is a growing disaster. The former Labor government is looking better and better by the day!
Tim don’t blame the government [of either colour] for the inadequacies of parents. If the parents or other family members were fully functioning adults, the government wouldn’t have this problem.
The government is there to make sure nobody starves, not be stand in parents.