Greatorex by-election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The Greatorex by-election, 2007 was a by-election held on 28 July 2007 for the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
electorate of Greatorex
in Alice Springs
.
The by-election was triggered when Dr Richard Lim
, the Country Liberal Party
member for Greatorex, resigned from politics on 9 July 2007. Lim had held the seat since 1994, and had served as Deputy Opposition Leader under former CLP leader Denis Burke. Greatorex is generally considered a safe seat for the CLP, and Lim, a popular local member, had managed to retain the seat at the 2005 election despite both a huge territory-wide loss which saw Burke lose his seat and the presence of a Labor star candidate
in high-profile Alice Springs mayor Fran Kilgariff. Lim stated that he was resigning in order to care for his ailing wife and parents, and was considering returning to his medical practice. He apologised for retiring mid-term, an act he had previously criticised former Attorney-General Peter Toyne
for doing in 2006.
The by-election saw CLP candidate Matt Conlan
elected on primary votes alone, polling 52% of the vote, a small increase on the 2005 election. Independent candidate Paul Herrick finished second with 20%, just ahead of Labor candidate Jo Nixon on 16%. Greens candidate Jane Clark finished fourth with 9% of the vote.
There were 4564 people enrolled within the electorate at the close of the rolls for the by-election on 13 July.
preselected local "shock jock
" radio presenter Matt Conlan
as their candidate unopposed, with the support of party leader Jodeen Carney
. A number of potential CLP candidates, including former MLA John Elferink
, former candidate Michael Jones, who nearly won the adjacent seat of Braitling
in 2005, and Alice Springs deputy mayor David Koch had all previously ruled out nominating.
The Australian Labor Party
preselected Jo Nixon, an audiologist and the organiser of the annual Alice Springs Beanie Festival as their candidate. The 2005 candidate, Fran Kilgariff, was reportedly not interested in standing again.
Alice Springs' deputy chief fire officer, Paul Herrick, contested the by-election as an independent. He was strongly endorsed by Loraine Braham
, the independent MLA for the adjacent seat of Braitling
. His candidacy was widely thought to pose the biggest potential threat to the CLP in the traditionally safe seat, and raised some speculation that the CLP could have lost party status had he won.
Former Alice Springs alderman Jane Clark contested the by-election for the Australian Greens
. She had previously expressed interest in the Labor nomination, but had been unsuccessful, and had been expected as a likely independent candidate after resigning from the council on 12 July. However, she made a surprise announcement on the last day of nominations, 16 July, that she would instead run as a candidate of the Greens, who had not previously been expected to contest the by-election.
, near Darwin
. The CLP also touched on housing issues, promising to reform the territory's HomeNorth scheme if elected in an effort to ease housing pressures.
The CLP repeatedly focused on law and order issues during the campaign, criticising crime rates and expressing support for the federal government's intervention in the region, including the ban on public consumption of alcohol in the town. Conlan promised to support the construction of a detox facility in the town to further combat the effects of alcohol if elected.Labor also focused its campaign on law and order issues, with Nixon's primary promise being the construction of a remote "boot camp" for young offenders in Central Australia, which subsequently received support from the territory government. Herrick also touched on the issue, criticising the lack of positive activities available for youth in Alice Springs.
Environmental issues were also raised a number of times throughout the campaign, with both the Labor and Green candidates raising concern about the prospect of the federal government building a nuclear waste dump in the region.
The CLP campaign received an early blow when high-profile former party treasurer and Alice Springs party president Andrew Maloney publicly endorsed Labor candidate Jo Nixon, risking expulsion from the CLP. He stated that he thought Labor would be in government in the territory for the next "six to ten years", and that he felt the electorate would be better off with a government member in the circumstances.
The CLP, Labor and the Greens directed their second preferences to Herrick. Herrick chose to direct no preferences.
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
electorate of Greatorex
Electoral division of Greatorex
Greatorex is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1987, replacing the abolished electorate of Sadadeen, and is named after Tony Greatorex, the last President of the Legislative Council...
in Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
.
The by-election was triggered when Dr Richard Lim
Richard Lim
Richard Soon Huat Lim is a former Australian politician. He was the Country Liberal Party member for Greatorex in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1994 until his resignation in 2007....
, the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
member for Greatorex, resigned from politics on 9 July 2007. Lim had held the seat since 1994, and had served as Deputy Opposition Leader under former CLP leader Denis Burke. Greatorex is generally considered a safe seat for the CLP, and Lim, a popular local member, had managed to retain the seat at the 2005 election despite both a huge territory-wide loss which saw Burke lose his seat and the presence of a Labor star candidate
Star candidate
A star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. Star candidates have usually excelled in fields outside of politics such as academia, business, the media, journalism and/or sports...
in high-profile Alice Springs mayor Fran Kilgariff. Lim stated that he was resigning in order to care for his ailing wife and parents, and was considering returning to his medical practice. He apologised for retiring mid-term, an act he had previously criticised former Attorney-General Peter Toyne
Peter Toyne
Dr Peter Howard Toyne is a former Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2006, representing the rural electorate of Stuart. He served as Attorney-General under Chief Minister Clare Martin, and for some years was...
for doing in 2006.
The by-election saw CLP candidate Matt Conlan
Matt Conlan
Matthew Escott "Matt" Conlan is an Australian politician. He is a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having won his seat of Greatorex in a 2007 by-election. He is currently Shadow Minister for Health, Central Australia and Alcohol Policy.-References:...
elected on primary votes alone, polling 52% of the vote, a small increase on the 2005 election. Independent candidate Paul Herrick finished second with 20%, just ahead of Labor candidate Jo Nixon on 16%. Greens candidate Jane Clark finished fourth with 9% of the vote.
There were 4564 people enrolled within the electorate at the close of the rolls for the by-election on 13 July.
Candidates
The Country Liberal PartyCountry Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
preselected local "shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
" radio presenter Matt Conlan
Matt Conlan
Matthew Escott "Matt" Conlan is an Australian politician. He is a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having won his seat of Greatorex in a 2007 by-election. He is currently Shadow Minister for Health, Central Australia and Alcohol Policy.-References:...
as their candidate unopposed, with the support of party leader Jodeen Carney
Jodeen Carney
Jodeen Terese Carney is an Australian politician. She was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from September 2001 to September 2010, representing the Alice Springs-based electorate of Araluen...
. A number of potential CLP candidates, including former MLA John Elferink
John Elferink
Johan Wessel Elferink is an Australian politician.He was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1997 to 2005, representing the rural electorate of MacDonnell...
, former candidate Michael Jones, who nearly won the adjacent seat of Braitling
Electoral division of Braitling
Braitling is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was created in 1983, when the electorate of Alice Springs was abolished as part of an enlargement of the Assembly. Braitling is an almost entirely urban electorate, covering 31.6 km² in...
in 2005, and Alice Springs deputy mayor David Koch had all previously ruled out nominating.
The Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
preselected Jo Nixon, an audiologist and the organiser of the annual Alice Springs Beanie Festival as their candidate. The 2005 candidate, Fran Kilgariff, was reportedly not interested in standing again.
Alice Springs' deputy chief fire officer, Paul Herrick, contested the by-election as an independent. He was strongly endorsed by Loraine Braham
Loraine Braham
Loraine Margaret Braham is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 2008, representing the electorate of Braitling...
, the independent MLA for the adjacent seat of Braitling
Electoral division of Braitling
Braitling is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was created in 1983, when the electorate of Alice Springs was abolished as part of an enlargement of the Assembly. Braitling is an almost entirely urban electorate, covering 31.6 km² in...
. His candidacy was widely thought to pose the biggest potential threat to the CLP in the traditionally safe seat, and raised some speculation that the CLP could have lost party status had he won.
Former Alice Springs alderman Jane Clark contested the by-election for the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
. She had previously expressed interest in the Labor nomination, but had been unsuccessful, and had been expected as a likely independent candidate after resigning from the council on 12 July. However, she made a surprise announcement on the last day of nominations, 16 July, that she would instead run as a candidate of the Greens, who had not previously been expected to contest the by-election.
Campaign
The by-election campaign centred around a number of issues, including housing, law and order and the environment. Independent candidate Herrick promised to push for more affordable housing in town, arguing for unoccupied public housing to be sold off to provide cheap housing options, and calling for the creation of a satellite city for Alice Springs at Owen Springs, similar to PalmerstonPalmerston, Northern Territory
Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory...
, near Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. The CLP also touched on housing issues, promising to reform the territory's HomeNorth scheme if elected in an effort to ease housing pressures.
The CLP repeatedly focused on law and order issues during the campaign, criticising crime rates and expressing support for the federal government's intervention in the region, including the ban on public consumption of alcohol in the town. Conlan promised to support the construction of a detox facility in the town to further combat the effects of alcohol if elected.Labor also focused its campaign on law and order issues, with Nixon's primary promise being the construction of a remote "boot camp" for young offenders in Central Australia, which subsequently received support from the territory government. Herrick also touched on the issue, criticising the lack of positive activities available for youth in Alice Springs.
Environmental issues were also raised a number of times throughout the campaign, with both the Labor and Green candidates raising concern about the prospect of the federal government building a nuclear waste dump in the region.
The CLP campaign received an early blow when high-profile former party treasurer and Alice Springs party president Andrew Maloney publicly endorsed Labor candidate Jo Nixon, risking expulsion from the CLP. He stated that he thought Labor would be in government in the territory for the next "six to ten years", and that he felt the electorate would be better off with a government member in the circumstances.
The CLP, Labor and the Greens directed their second preferences to Herrick. Herrick chose to direct no preferences.