Just like every other Territorian this week I was disgusted by the selfish antics within the CLP Parliamentary wing. Issues of trust, respect and consultation was the righteous justification but the reality centered on personal ambition and petty personal grievances – nothing whatsoever to do with either respecting or bettering the Territory.
I believe that the unseemly upheaval has been settled for the present at least, with the best possible outcome for our town. That is with Adam Giles still at the helm, anything less spelt potential disaster.
There has been a growing confidence amongst Alice Springs business, a belief that this year the policy shifts introduced by the Giles Government are about to bear fruit.
Many large projects are on the immediate horizon which have the potential to bring our town bursting back to life. Make no mistake about it, investors only invest on certainty, knowing what to expect from government.
This upheaval has already created a level of doubt and the only way to quickly repair that is for the Adam Giles CLP Government to serve out its allotted time, putting aside pettiness and personal ambition, getting their collective heads down and honouring the expectations placed upon them by the community they once sought to serve.
They should be doing everything they can in their remaining 18 months to make us want them returned, however unlikely that scenario may presently seem.
Much as many commentators would apparently like to see this government consigned to history we should stop a while and contemplate the effect that such an outcome would have on our struggling community in the present climate.
I don’t think there is very much doubt that if we were to go to an election any time soon the Giles Government would be wiped from the board which in turn would see the reinstatement of the only alternative Government, the Darwin Centric Labor Party which for twelve years previously wreaked such havoc on Alice through their disastrous neglect of our town.
The effect on business confidence of such a change in direction would be rather like spraying your freshly sprouting grass with a concentrated dose of Round Up!
So be careful what you wish for, just for the moment there’s really no palatable alternative out there for Alice.