BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN VAD LEGISLATION

SELENA UIBO MLA LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION Tuesday, 1 September 2026 YISSA residents and staff have been left waiting for weeks to find out what happens next. Now the Federal Labor Government has put $3.5 million on the table to help purchase the facility. Lia Finocchiaro’s first response was to call it a waste of taxpayer money. Lia Finocchiaro and her colleagues in the CLP Government are always quick to complain about a lack of federal support, yet when it comes, they complain about that too. There is nothing wasteful about providing a safe place for families escaping domestic violence and Territorians receiving critical health care away from home. The Finocchiaro CLP Government should accept that funding and keep YISSA open. If the CLP don’t accept the funding, they need to release the plan they have promised. Territorians cannot keep waiting, any alternative facility needs to be ready and fit for purpose.

CHANSEY PAECH MLA SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING Thursday, 27 August 2026 Education Minister Jo Hersey is pushing through major changes to merge the Board of Studies and the Teacher Registration Board, giving herself greater control while removing guaranteed representation for teachers and educators. Which is why the Territory Labor Opposition will oppose the Education Standards and Registration Board Bill 2026 in its current form. We will move amendments to address concerns raised by teachers, educators and other stakeholders. The Bill removes guaranteed places for teachers, unions, parents, remote educators and Aboriginal educators, while expanding the Minister’s role in appointments and how the new Board operates. Stakeholders were given just five business days to respond, with submissions raising serious concerns about the consultation process and loss of experienced voices. At a time when teachers are calling for better pay and conditions, safer schools and more classroom support, the Finocchiaro CLP Government should be listening to them, not reducing their say. This is a cost-saving exercise that does nothing to better support teachers or deliver safer and better outcomes for Territory students. The changes also weaken independence, oversight and accountability, while giving the Education Minister greater influence over the new Board. Education reform should draw on independent expertise and the people who know our schools best, not push those voices aside.

ED SMELT MLA SHADOW MINISTER FOR LANDS AND PLANNING Wednesday, 26 August 2026 Today we call for an independent inquiry into the development and regulation of data centres in the Northern Territory as proposed projects continue to grow in scale. Data centres could bring new industries, better technology and more jobs for Territorians. Yet the Finocchiaro CLP Government is pushing ahead without a publicly available Territory-wide plan or framework to manage the impact on our water, power, land, environment and infrastructure. The CLP Government has already set aside 185 hectares of public land at Weddell, while Project Ares in the Barkly is examining groundwater requirements of up to four gigalitres a year. While other states are already planning for the growth of this industry, the Northern Territory should be doing the same. New South Wales and Victoria are looking at energy, water, infrastructure and workforce needs while putting in place clearer regulations and minimum standards. An independent inquiry is not about slowing investment down. It is about making sure there is transparency around these major projects and that Territorians know how our environment, water and energy security will be protected, who will pay for new infrastructure and how jobs and economic benefits will stay in the Territory.  The Territory Labor Opposition supports responsible data-centre development, but major decisions involving Territory water, energy and public land need proper scrutiny, transparency and consultation before they are supported.

CHANSEY PAECH MLA SHADOW HEALTH MINISTER Tuesday, 25 August 2026 Health Minister Steve Edgington avoids press conferences and scrutiny at every turn. But when he was finally asked to provide answers in Parliament today, he had none. NT Health Acting Chief Executive Susan Bowden told media the 32 additional beds would be ready by the end of this month. But when asked to confirm that timeline today, the Health Minister could not, eventually saying only that they would open in the “near future”. Nor could he say when, or if, a new Territory hospital is actually on the table, as Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals continue to face significant pressure. Yet the Finocchiaro CLP Government has found the money to commit to a private prison, but it cannot tell Territorians when promised hospital beds will open or whether a new hospital is even part of its plans. Territorians have heard plenty about record funding and more beds coming. But when the Health Minister is asked for certainty, all he can offer is three vague words, the “near future”. Territorians need a Health Minister who can give them straight answers about the hospitals they rely on.

CHANSEY PAECH MLA SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH Monday, 24 August 2026 The longest Code Yellow of 2026 may have ended, but the pressure on Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals has not. Health Minister Steve Edgington needs to explain how the Finocchiaro CLP Government will attract and retain the permanent staff our hospitals need. Opening another 32 beds means little without the workforce to staff them. The nurses and midwives EBA is currently being negotiated, but the CLP Government is failing to work with staff on the pay and conditions needed to keep them in Territory hospitals. The CLP Government found a way to deliver a significant pay deal for police. It should show the same determination for the nurses and midwives caring for Territorians every day. NT Health has spent more than $90 million on agency nurses in 2026. Spending millions filling workforce gaps with temporary staff is not a long-term plan. That money would be better invested in attracting and retaining permanent nurses and midwives. Health affects every Territorian, no matter where someone lives, they should be able to access good healthcare when they need it. The CLP Government keeps claiming it is delivering record health funding, but Territorians are seeing elective surgeries cut, repeated Code Yellows and exhausted healthcare workers, while Steve Edgington fails to deliver the staff and capacity our hospitals need.

ED SMELT MLA ACTING LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION Wednesday, 19 August 2026 Yiŋiya Guyula has given almost a decade of service to the people of Mulka and to the Northern Territory Parliament. Throughout his time in Parliament, Yiŋiya has been a strong leader and advocate for his people, his culture and his country. He has used his place in the Legislative Assembly to stand up for the communities he represents and to highlight the importance of language, lore and culture. We acknowledge his contribution and respect his decision to return to country and continue that work alongside his family, elders and community.  We thank Yiŋiya Guyula for his service to the Parliament and, most importantly, to the people of Mulka.

CHANSEY PAECH MLA SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH Wednesday, 19 August 20 26 Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals are in the longest Code Yellow of 2026, and another 32 beds at the end of the month cannot be the only answer from Health Minister Steve Edgington. He needs to explain what he is doing now to get more staff and capacity into our hospitals, and every reasonable option to relieve the pressure should be considered, including additional emergency health support. More beds also mean nothing without the workforce to staff them. The nurses and midwives EBA is being negotiated now, and the CLP Government should be at the table working on the pay and conditions that will keep experienced staff in Territory hospitals. The Government found a way to deliver a significant pay deal for police. It should be showing the same determination to retain the nurses and midwives keeping our hospitals running. NT Health spent $66.2 million on agency nurses to 31 March. That level of spending shows why retaining permanent nurses and midwives has to be a priority. In the middle of the longest Code Yellow of the year, the Finocchiaro CLP Government is prioritising plans for a new 1,200-bed prison. If the Government can put that level of focus into building more prison capacity, Steve Edgington can put the same focus into keeping health workers in the Territory and getting our hospitals the staff and resources they need.

MANUEL BROWN MLA SHADOW MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES Thursday, 13 August 2026 With H5 bird flu continuing to spread across Australia, the Finocchiaro CLP Government needs to make sure people right across the Territory know what to look out for and what to do. Information is available, but more needs to be done to make sure it is reaching Aboriginal people and remote communities. The Government’s bird flu information is available in just three languages other than English, and not a single Aboriginal language. Recreational hunting is part of life in the Territory, while for many remote and Aboriginal communities, native birds are an important source of food and part of culture and connection to country. People who hunt, handle or prepare wild birds need to know what signs to look for, what precautions to take and who to contact if they come across sick or dead birds. The CLP Government should be working directly with Aboriginal organisations, ranger groups and remote communities to get this information out in Aboriginal languages, on local radio and through community organisations. The risk to human health remains low, but people who have close contact with infected birds or animals face a greater risk. The CLP Government should not wait until H5 bird flu is detected in the Territory to make sure people have the information they need.

ED SMELT MLA ACTING LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION Friday, 7 August 2026 At a time when the Territory is already short around 400 nurses, the CLP Government is reportedly cutting retention bonuses for nurses and midwives working in Darwin and Palmerston. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation says the payment was specifically designed to help retain nurses and midwives in the Territory. Health Minister Steve Edgington needs to reverse the decision and keep the payment in place. Our nurses and midwives should be supported to stay and work in the Territory, not have a retention incentive taken away. Nurses and midwives are already working under significant pressure across our hospitals and health services, and losing experienced staff will only make those workforce shortages harder to address. The Finocchiaro CLP Government should be doing everything it can to keep nurses and midwives in the Territory, and Health Minister Steve Edgington should reverse the cut.