The Northern Territory’s current treasurer Eva Lawler will be sworn in as the Territory’s new Chief Minister today.
The Labor Caucus met on Wednesday afternoon and came to the unanimous decision that the Member for Drysdale will replace former Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who resigned from the position on Tuesday this week.
In a statement on Facebook, Lawler said her focus as the new Chief Minister is focusing on cost of living in the Northern Territory, creating more opportunities for Territorians and prioritising the safety of the community.
“The Territory is one of a kind, and today I have been given the honour to serve as the Territory’s next Chief Minister,” Lawler wrote.
“Our Government’s absolute focus is on creating jobs, tackling cost of living pressures and making the Territory safer.
“Those are our priorities because those are Territorians’ priorities.”
Upon Natasha Fyles’ resignation, many predicted Nicole Manison, Fyles’ Deputy Chief Minister, to step into the role. However, it was also decided in the Labor Caucus meeting that Manison would step away from the Deputy Chief Minister role and return to politics in 2024 as a backbencher.
In a statement on Facebook, Manison said she made the decision so she could prioritise her family more.
“I love the Territory with all my heart,” Manison wrote. “I have given it my all and my proudest accomplishment is the example I have set for girls growing up here that you can be a mum and a Cabinet Minister.”
Stepping in as Eva Lawler’s Deputy Chief Minister is Chansey Paech. He will give up his current roles as the Attorney-General and Aboriginal Affairs Minister to be sworn in as the second-in-charge in the Territory.
“As a little kid running usually barefoot around Alice Springs, I never dreamed that one day I’d be Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“As I grew older, I decided I wanted to work towards making my home realise it’s wonderful potential, to share what I saw with my eyes and my heart.
“That’s my dream, and I know it’s one I share with Chief Minister Eva Lawler, who today has given me the huge honour of working with her as Deputy.”
Why did Natasha Fyles resign?
On Tuesday, Natasha Fyles announced her resignation as the Northern Territory’s Chief Minister, following reports of undisclosed shares in mining and gas companies.
Speaking to reporters in a press conference, Fyles declared her decision to resign from the top job in the Northern Territory follows her failure to disclose more than $2000 worth of shares invested in South32, a company that owns a manganese mine in Groote Eylandt island.
While many suspect foul play, Fyles assured reporters it was an unintentional “mistake”.
The Territory’s Liberal opposition leader, Lia Finocchiaro, released a statement on Fyles’ resignation, saying her legacy is one “dogged by integrity scandals”.
“Natasha Fyles’ failures to manage conflicts of interest and adhere to the Ministerial Code of Conduct made her position untenable,” she wrote.
“At a time when Territorians desperately need Government leadership, as crime continues to dominate, our economy is in freefall, all Territorians have is a Labor team more focussed on themselves than on managing the Territory.
“If Labor cannot manage themselves, they cannot manage the Territory. The ultimate price for Labor’s failures has been paid by Territorians.”