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Speaker 1: Now there has been discussion about what role independents are

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Speaker 1: going to play post election. I mean, a lot of

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Speaker 1: people starting to question if the independent members of the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory Parliament are going to have a balance of power.

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Speaker 1: I guess is the question that some are raising. We'll

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Speaker 1: labor lose seats and team up with independence to form

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Speaker 1: a majority. Will the CLP come up short and need

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Speaker 1: the support of Robin Lamley? Well, none of us really

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Speaker 1: know until we see those results start to flow through

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Speaker 1: on Saturday night. But joining me on the line is

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Speaker 1: the Independent member for Ara Lewin, Robin Lamley. Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you, Robin.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie Will How are you all very well?

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Speaker 1: How are things in Alice? Is everyone turning out to vote?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they are. It's been good. Yeah, it's been very civilized,

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Speaker 2: not too much Anjie Barji on the polling booth. Everyone

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Speaker 2: seems to be finding their way to the polling booth successfully,

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Speaker 2: which is in the Alice Plaza inside a shopping center

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Speaker 2: for the first time that I recall. Yeah, I think

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Speaker 2: I have a hunch that most of I think all

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Speaker 2: the incumbents down here will be re elected. That's my

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Speaker 2: prediction for Saturday night.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I'm hearing out of Vala Springs. What

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Speaker 1: do you think, sort of a little further out, I

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Speaker 1: guess when you look at the likes of Tenant and Namagira.

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Speaker 2: I think I think the CELP will retain those seats.

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Speaker 2: I think Steve Edgington has worked exceptionally hard. He's got

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Speaker 2: one of the biggest electorates in the Northern Territory and

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Speaker 2: he has worked really, really hard. So I would be

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Speaker 2: astonished if he wasn't re elected. And Bill Yan the same.

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Speaker 2: He's been out and about. He's got a fairly high

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Speaker 2: profile being the Shadow Treasurer and having other responsibilities. I

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Speaker 2: think those two will be fine. Steve Edgington and Bill

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Speaker 2: Yan for the CLP will retain those seats my prediction.

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Speaker 1: What do you think about this discussion that independence might

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Speaker 1: hold the balance of power? There are you know, people

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Speaker 1: sort of questioning whether that could indeed be the case.

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Speaker 1: I know that last time round when Territory Alliance was

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Speaker 1: in play, people were kind of wondering the same thing.

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Speaker 1: What are your thoughts do you think it's likely?

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Speaker 2: Well, it's a bit of a sport, really, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: It is and every election is the same. There's always

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Speaker 2: speculation around it being really close and the balance of

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Speaker 2: power being held by independence, but we also know that

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Speaker 2: it very rarely happens. I personally think it's highly unlikely.

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Speaker 2: I'm not expecting that to happen at all. I'll have

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Speaker 2: a bit of work to do come Sunday morning if

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Speaker 2: that is the case. And often these things aren't even

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Speaker 2: sort of teased out until the election is declared two

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Speaker 2: weeks later, if a lot of seats are in question.

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Speaker 2: But I think it's very unlikely. I'm not anticipating holding

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Speaker 2: the ball to power and being a queen maker, as

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Speaker 2: they say now at all.

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Speaker 1: I think people might like you being the queen maker,

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Speaker 1: Robin Well.

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Speaker 2: I fancy myself as a queen, but probably.

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Speaker 3: Do that right. I clearly remember Jerry Wood being in

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Speaker 3: that position, and although it gave him a lot of

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Speaker 3: power and resources, and he claimed that it achieved a

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Speaker 3: lot more, and it possibly did.

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Speaker 2: I actually wasn't a part of that parliament then, but

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Speaker 2: it also came with a lot of I don't know,

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Speaker 2: and responsibility. It wasn't all all such a great thing

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Speaker 2: for everyone involved. I think a really close parliament where

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Speaker 2: the numbers are really tight. That's good because you know,

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Speaker 2: if anyone decides to defect or or you know, I

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Speaker 2: become an independent like I did years ago, then it

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Speaker 2: you know, it really makes for interesting debates and real

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Speaker 2: democracy can be played out.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it certainly holds a government to account. I mean, Robin,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to the possibility, and I know you

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Speaker 1: probably won't want to go into it, but would you

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Speaker 1: side with the CLP to help them form government if

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Speaker 1: that was needed.

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Speaker 2: Look, that's my natural tendency. I was a former CLP

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Speaker 2: minister years ago, over ten years ago, so that's that's

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Speaker 2: part of who I am. I guess my politics have

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Speaker 2: noted has not changed at all, Katie. I still remain

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Speaker 2: the same person I was when I was a part

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Speaker 2: of the COLP to what I am now. I'm just

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Speaker 2: a little bit more outspoken and free to say and

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Speaker 2: do what I want. But I lean to the right,

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Speaker 2: and I think four more years of labor down here

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Speaker 2: in Alice Springs would truly be the end of it.

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Speaker 2: That's my concern. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Can I ask you a couple of questions that I

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Speaker 1: don't know whether you've seen these different bits and pieces,

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Speaker 1: but I'm keen to get your take I'm not sure

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Speaker 1: whether you watch the Sky News Leader's debate yesterday, but

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Speaker 1: both of the both of the potential chief ministers were

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Speaker 1: asked to ask each other a question, and the question

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Speaker 1: from Eva was very much about whether Lea Finocchiaro is

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Speaker 1: a lightweight and whether she's strong enough to stand up

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Speaker 1: to the back room men of the COLP and the

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Speaker 1: likes of the Christian Lobby group, etc. Did you see

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Speaker 1: that yesterday?

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Speaker 2: I only watched the first ten minutes, so I didn't

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Speaker 2: see that part of it. He Pa tends to play

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Speaker 2: the person and I think that's where Leah really might

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Speaker 2: have had the upper hand in that debate. She does

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Speaker 2: get quite personal. She does have her prejudices that she

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Speaker 2: tends to wear on her sleeve. She doesn't like private school,

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Speaker 2: she doesn't like the Christian lobby, and I don't think

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Speaker 2: that that's very appealing a chief minister that has her

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Speaker 2: very clear personal likes and dislikes. I just don't think

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Speaker 2: that that's appealing. And I've seen it play out in

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Speaker 2: Parliament with either. She at one point told Parliament that

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Speaker 2: she didn't like the fact that the government was giving

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Speaker 2: money to a certain Christian school in Parmerston I can't

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Speaker 2: remember which one it was, but it was a new

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Speaker 2: school and people don't like that. I mean, you know,

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Speaker 2: everyone's got their hand out, and you know every government

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Speaker 2: has a preference to where they put their money or

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Speaker 2: allocate the resources. But to be so almost prejudiced in

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Speaker 2: certain ways is I don't think that's very Australian.

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Speaker 1: To be honest, play the person or play the politics

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Speaker 1: or the person. I think it's probably the way to go.

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Speaker 2: And if you're not a Christian, then I suppose you

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Speaker 2: own it, but sort of turn around and then slam

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Speaker 2: the Christians. If that's what she did. I didn't it

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Speaker 2: was more.

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Speaker 1: I suppose it was more I guess attacking attacking Leah

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Speaker 1: and you know, saying she was a lightweight. And I

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Speaker 1: get it, right, like I get that we're all you

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Speaker 1: know that their opponents and that you've got to kind of,

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Speaker 1: you know, find something that makes you different to your opponent.

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Speaker 1: But I just just question whether it's the right tact

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Speaker 1: a few days out. You know, I always think hold

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Speaker 1: the higher ground and try to be respectful of the

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Speaker 1: person that you're up against. I guess that's maybe just

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Speaker 1: the way I've been raised in sport. I don't know.

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Speaker 2: Well, definitely, and I think too. You need to run

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Speaker 2: your own race in politics, and at this point, four

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Speaker 2: days out from the finish line, if you're looking around

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Speaker 2: and trying to find fault in your opponents and putting

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Speaker 2: out those ridiculous messages messages to people like they did yesterday,

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Speaker 2: all that says to me is that they are unnerved,

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Speaker 2: they're desperate, and they're using tactics that really don't appeal

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Speaker 2: to anyone.

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Speaker 1: I don't think well, Robin Lamley, it's always good to

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Speaker 1: catch up with you all the best over the weekend.

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Speaker 1: I'll take you on ye. We'll see how it's going

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Speaker 1: over the weekend. I'll be helping sky News out, so

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Speaker 1: let me know. If there's anything going on in Alice

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Speaker 1: that I should be aware of, I will.

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Speaker 2: Katie thank it on you.

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Speaker 1: Thanks Robin,