STATEMENT: KUMANJAI LITTLE BABY

Thursday 30, April 2026 After almost two years under the Finocchiaro CLP Government, this year’s budget is a real test of whether Lia Finocchiaro has a plan for the Territory’s future and what her government’s priorities are for the rest of their term. So far, we’ve seen a lack of strategic investment and growing pressure on essential services. The CLP Government talks a lot about lifestyle and the economy, but you can’t have either if the health system is under pressure, roads aren’t usable, and housing is out of reach for many Territorians. With interest rates rising, power prices increasing and fuel costs uncertain, Territory families and businesses are under pressure, and the CLP Government must use the levers it controls to deliver cost-of-living support. Which is why in this year’s budget, the Territory Labor Opposition is focused on infrastructure, housing, health, education and Aboriginal Affairs. Infrastructure should be driving jobs and investment, but there is still no clear plan. Key road projects have stalled, and committed funding remains idle, including hundreds of millions in Commonwealth funding for critical corridors. Right now, there is no pipeline of works, and that is holding back jobs, investment and growth. Projects need to be funded and ready to go. Housing pressure is increasing, with supply not keeping pace and affordability continuing to decline. Too many Territorians are struggling to afford a place to live, and essential workers are being priced out, with no targets or timelines to increase supply or address affordability concerns. Health should be a priority, yet there is still no plan to deal with growing pressure across the system. Darwin has lost private maternity services and obstetrics, placing additional pressure on the public system and limiting choice for Territory women and their families. Hospitals are under pressure, ambulance demand is rising, and frontline staff are being stretched. Capacity needs to be increased, and staff need to be properly supported. Teachers and students are bearing the brunt of an education system under increasing pressure. Students with additional needs are disengaging or falling behind, while teachers and principals lack the in-classroom support they need. Keeping teachers safe and improving outcomes requires more trained support staff, counsellors and specialist teachers in Territory schools. Without a plan to recruit, retain and support the workforce, backed by infrastructure and targeted supports, children and young people will miss out on the basics they need. For Aboriginal Territorians, the gap is widening. Investment in housing, infrastructure and community-led programs has stalled or gone backwards, with no vision of long-term solutions. Housing, infrastructure and community-led programs need to be delivered on the ground, with sustained investment and real partnerships. The CLP Government must use this budget to set out how this will be delivered, with funding and timelines, because after two years, this Government has run out of excuses. 

Monday, 20 April 2026 Lia Finocchiaro and the CLP Government’s proposed power price hike for Local Governments must be scrapped immediately. This decision won’t just hit councils - it will hit every single Territorian. The City of Darwin has warned these hikes could drive up to half a million dollars in additional costs. Councils across the Territory are now being forced to make an impossible decision. Hike rates on households already under pressure or cut the services communities rely on every day. That means fewer community programs, reduced maintenance, and real risks to public safety. Some Councils are already considering reducing street lighting to manage costs. This is a genuine community safety risk, it means darker streets, less visibility, and greater danger for drivers, families and people walking home at night. At a time when families are already making tough choices at the checkout, at the bowser, and on their power bills - this decision makes life harder, not easier. The Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro must put the record straight, because Territorians deserve to know: if she’s willing to hit Councils, what’s stopping residential power prices from being next? This is another example of the Finocchiaro CLP Government making decisions that affect Territorians without consultation, and without warning. This proposal is the wrong call, at the wrong time, with negative consequences. It must be scrapped. Quotes attributable to Opposition Leader, Selena Uibo: “The Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s decision won’t just hit Councils - it will hit every Territorian where is hurts most, in their hip pockets. “You don’t fix budget pressure by shifting the burden onto families already doing it tough.” Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Local Government, Ed Smelt: “Local governments are being forced to absorb the costs of a decision they didn’t make, with real [negative] consequences for their communities. “This is a short-sighted decision from the Finocchiaro CLP Government that will have long-term impacts on services people depend on every day.”

Tuesday, 7 April 2026 Serious concerns have been raised about safety in Royal Darwin Hospital, with nurses reporting assaults, threats and violence as part of their work. Our nurses, doctors and frontline health workers deserve to feel safe at work, and right now they are telling us they do not. This morning, Health Minister Steve Edgington said he will meet with the Chief Executive of Health today, and that it has been some time since he last met with the union. This is deeply concerning, because ministers should already be meeting regularly with frontline representatives, particularly when nurses are reporting daily violence. We have also seen ambulance services pushed to a critical point, with reports that more than 40 per cent of Triple Zero calls went unanswered and urgent cases waited hours for care. This pressure is across the system, and it is being felt by both patients and staff. Frontline workers have already outlined what needs to change, including stronger security, faster duress responses and action to reduce pressure on emergency departments. The issue is not understanding the problem, it is the response. Steve Edgington needs to urgently meet with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the United Workers Union, hear directly from frontline staff and act on their concerns. The CLP Government is responsible for ensuring hospitals are safe workplaces. With the Budget approaching, Territorians need to see real investment in frontline health services and workforce safety. Our health workers need to be supported and safe at work and Territorians need to know the system will be there when they need it.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026 Territory families and businesses have been through a tough wet season, with cyclones and severe flooding causing widespread disruption and destruction across the Territory. Damage to key roads has made it harder to move essential goods and keep communities connected. Many Territory businesses face an uncertain future; some unable to operate, while others are doing everything they can to stay open and support local jobs. Now, rising fuel costs driven by global events are making it even harder, particularly for our freight, construction, pastoral and tourism sectors. These industries support tens of thousands of local jobs, they represent thousands of Territory families, and the impacts are being felt across the broader economy. While state leaders across the country are delivering support packages to strengthen their economies, the CLP Government has failed to do the same here. After 18 months of saying they care about the economy, this is their biggest test, and they are nowhere to be seen. While Commonwealth support will provide some relief, it cannot do all the heavy lifting. The CLP Government must work directly with industry to do their bit to support recovery. That is why we call on the CLP Government to: Provide targeted support for the freight industry, including working with industry to address fixed price contract pressures Provide financial assistance to tourism operators impacted by recent weather damage to ensure they can trade through the upcoming peak season Provide support for the construction sector to address escalating costs and keep projects moving Without action from the CLP Government, these challenges will continue to build, putting jobs, projects and business viability at risk.

Monday, 30 March 2026 Over the past weekend, Darwin’s ambulance system hit a critical failure point, with Territorians left waiting in life-threatening situations for emergency care. St John Ambulance has confirmed calls went unanswered and urgent cases were left outstanding, while patients faced delays of hours for an ambulance. This did not happen overnight, there have been weeks of mounting pressure across the system, and this is where it has led. At the same time, paramedics are continuing to face violence on the job, with assaults on frontline workers an ongoing and escalating issue across the Territory. Paramedics are doing everything they can under immense strain, but they cannot carry a system that has been allowed to reach breaking point. That pressure is also impacting the safety of workers on the frontline. Minister for Health Steve Edgington needs to front up today and explain how the system was allowed to reach this point. He must outline what immediate surge capacity is being deployed, how capacity will be restored, and how he will ensure Territorians are not left waiting for emergency care tonight. This cannot be dismissed as a one-off. It is the result of a system pushed beyond capacity without the planning and resourcing to back it in. This is a failure of planning, resourcing and leadership.

Friday, 27 March 2026 Today, I am announcing changes to the Opposition Shadow portfolios to ensure a clear focus on what matters most to Territorians. Ed Smelt joins the team as the newly elected Member for Nightcliff, bringing a strong local voice to the Parliament. Our Labor Opposition team is focused on housing, health, cost of living, improving outcomes for Aboriginal Territorians, and jobs and training. I will continue to lead on cost of living and the economy, maintaining a strong focus on easing pressure on households and strengthening the Territory’s economic position. Dheran Young will lead on Aboriginal affairs and environment, with a focus on ensuring decisions are grounded in community and country. Chansey Paech will lead on health, justice and human services, continuing work across frontline services and community safety. Manuel Brown will lead on education, jobs and training, with a focus on building opportunity and strengthening the Territory workforce. Ed Smelt will lead on housing, infrastructure and tourism, bringing a strong local perspective to the delivery of homes, infrastructure and economic growth. This is a focused and disciplined team ready to continue delivering for Territorians.

Thursday, 12 March 2026 The Finocchiaro CLP Government must urgently resolve the growing dispute with Correctional Officers before it escalates further. Reports of a planned 12-hour strike at Alice Springs Correctional Centre raise serious concerns about how this situation has been allowed to reach this point. Correctional Officers perform an incredibly difficult job keeping our community safe. They deserve to be respected, and their concerns must be taken seriously. At the same time, the correctional system is an essential service. Any disruption has serious implications for community safety and the operation of the justice system. Right now, the Territory is dealing with significant flooding across parts of the Top End. The government’s focus should be on supporting communities and maintaining essential services. Lia Finocchiaro and the CLP Government must step up and work constructively with Correctional Officers to resolve this dispute. This situation should never have been allowed to escalate to the point where prison operations and community safety could be disrupted. Territorians expect leadership and competent management of essential services. The CLP Government must get this resolved.

Wednesday, 11 March 2026  The Finocchiaro CLP Government has been exposed after walking away from the very law they once promised would bring down fuel prices for Territorians. When they were in Opposition, the now Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro stood in Parliament claiming she had the answer to rising fuel prices, introducing a Fuel Price Disclosure Bill she said would help drive down the cost of living. But now that the CLP are in government, that promise has been broken. At a time when Territorians are paying more every week at the bowser and feeling the pressure of rising costs across the board, the CLP has quietly abandoned the policy they once claimed would fix the problem. There are only two possible explanations. Either the CLP genuinely believed their fuel price laws would bring prices down, in which case they should introduce the bill immediately. Or they never believed it would work and used it as a political talking point while they were in Opposition. For years the CLP claimed they had the answers on the cost of living, now that they are in government, Territorians are seeing the reality of the CLP’s empty tank. The promise has disappeared, and the plan was never there. Territorians were promised relief on fuel prices, instead they are facing higher costs at the bowser, growing pressure on household budgets, and a CLP government that has already run out of fuel.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026 Territorians deserve clear answers from the CLP Government about the disruption to Darwin’s water supply. Late last night, CLP Ministers simply shared Power and Water’s statement on social media confirming flooding had forced the Darwin River Dam pump station offline. Information circulating last night suggested the incident occurred around 4:37pm, yet Territorians waited hours before CLP Ministers shared Power and Water’s update on social media. This is critical infrastructure that supplies water to thousands of homes, hospitals and businesses across the Darwin region. Territorians deserve more than a social media repost, they deserve accountability and clear advice about what this means for the security of their water supply. The Territory has experienced sustained wet season conditions for weeks, and the Darwin River Dam spillway has reportedly been overflowing since the start of the year. A situation like this should have been anticipated, and contingency planning should already have been in place to protect critical infrastructure. Across the Top End we are already seeing empty supermarket shelves as flooding disrupts freight, and now Territorians are being told the main water supply to Darwin has been impacted. If the CLP Government cannot manage these compounding emergencies, they should be calling in Federal support. The CLP Government must urgently provide a clear public update today outlining to Territorians how long the Darwin River Dam pump station could remain offline, what contingency measures are in place to maintain supply.