During a debate in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly on 25 August 2015, the Member for Nelson, Gerry Wood, made a number of statements with respect to the Darwin Regional Land Use Plan and the inclusion of a plan of the Noonamah Hughes region.  A plan of the Noonamah Hughes region had been previously prepared by the surveying company, Earl James & Associates.

Mr Wood referred to my previous role as a business partner in Earl James & Associates and said “… there is a conflict of interest …” (Hansard, 25/8, Wood).

My day-to-day involvement in Earl James & Associates ceased in March 1996 when I was elected to Federal Parliament. My “legal” connection ended in 2001 when the balance of my shareholding was sold to other shareholders.

My previous involvement with Earl James & Associates was publicly declared, and in fact commented on by Mr Wood, when I was first appointed as inaugural Chairman of the NT Planning Commission in January 2013.

The Noonamah Hughes plan mentioned by Mr Wood was first referred to the NT Planning Commission in 2013 by the then Lands and Planning Minister, Peter Chandler, under the significant development provisions of the Planning Act.

To claim there could be any conflict of interest is offensive, not supported by the facts and preposterous in the extreme.

Mr Wood has made these statements under parliamentary privilege. Having been a Federal Member of Parliament for almost 12 years and a Parliamentary Secretary and a Minister for three years, I understand parliamentary privilege. But I also understand that an ethical Member of Parliament, having utilised parliamentary privilege to make an accusation, immediately corrects the record upon learning the accusation is false.

I expect Mr Wood to correct the record immediately.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Gary Nairn 0419 420 108