Adam Giles

The Honourable
Adam Giles
MLA
10th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Assumed office
14 March 2013
Monarch Elizabeth II
Deputy Dave Tollner (2013–14)
Peter Chandler (2014–15)
Willem Westra van Holthe (2015–2016)
Preceded by Terry Mills
Administrator
Leader of the Country Liberal Party
Assumed office
14 March 2013
Deputy Dave Tollner (2013–14)
Peter Chandler (2014–15)
Willem Westra van Holthe (2015–2016)
Preceded by Terry Mills
Member of the Northern Territory Parliament
for Braitling
Assumed office
9 August 2008
Preceded by Loraine Braham
Personal details
Born Adam Graham Romer
(1973-04-10) 10 April 1973
Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
Political party Country Liberal Party
Residence Alice Springs

Adam Graham Giles (born 10 April 1973[1]) is an Australian politician who currently serves as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and leader of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. Giles is the first head of government in Australia to have Indigenous Australian ancestry.

Giles became a CLP member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly seat of Braitling at the 2008 election. The Terry Mills-led CLP opposition defeated the Paul Henderson-led Labor government at the 2012 election, winning 16 of 25 seats. Giles was elected by the CLP party-room to replace Mills as Chief Minister and CLP leader less than a year later at the 2013 CLP leadership ballot. Giles was defeated at the 2015 CLP leadership ballot but managed to survive in the aftermath. Multiple defections saw the CLP reduced to minority government a few months later. The 2016 election is scheduled for 27 August.

Early life and public service career

Giles was born Adam Graham Romer in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. His mother is Anglo-Saxon and his father was descended from the Kamilaroi people through Giles' grandmother. His grandmother discovered that she had indigenous ancestry during the 1980s, but has said she did not regard herself as Aboriginal.[2] When his parents split up, Adam's mother remarried, and he took his surname from his stepfather.[3]

Giles studied accounting and real estate after leaving high school, working in property management before moving into public housing management for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). He then moved to Canberra to work in the Australian Public Service as a social and economic policy advisor for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations,[4] and was the Liberal Party candidate for Fraser in the 2004 federal election.[5]

Parliament

As a member of the Northern Territory's Indigenous Economic Taskforce, Giles travelled and worked throughout the Territory before settling in Alice Springs.[6] There he stood as a CLP candidate for Lingiari at the 2007 federal election, losing to Labor incumbent Warren Snowdon.[7] He was elected to the Alice Springs-based seat of Braitling in the 2008 Northern Territory election, winning with 2,052 primary votes, or with 70% (2,475 votes) after preferences were distributed.[8]

Following the 2012 Northern Territory election, Giles became the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government.

Chief Minister

2013 CLP leadership ballot

Giles replaced Terry Mills as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and party leader at the 2013 CLP leadership ballot on 13 March while Mills was on a trade mission in Japan.[9] Giles was sworn in as Chief Minister on 14 March, becoming the first indigenous head of government of an Australian state or territory.[10][11]

When the CLP introduced mandatory alcohol rehabilitation for recidivist problem drinkers to replace a banned drinker register, Giles dismissed critics of the policy as "lefty welfare-orientated people".[12]

2015 CLP leadership ballot

Willem Westra van Holthe challenged Giles at the 2015 CLP leadership ballot on 2 February and was elected leader by the party room in a late night vote conducted by phone.[13] However, Giles refused to resign as Chief Minister following the vote. On 3 February, ABC News reported that officials were preparing an instrument for Giles' removal by the Administrator. The swearing-in of Westra van Holthe, which had been scheduled for 11:00 local time (01:30 UTC), was delayed.[14] After a meeting of the parliamentary wing of the CLP, Giles announced that he would remain as party leader and Chief Minister, and that Westra van Holthe would be his deputy.[15]

2015 opinion poll

Just one opinion poll has been released since the 2012 election – conducted by ReachTEL and commissioned by The Australian which surveyed 1036 residents via robocall on the afternoon of Sunday 1 March 2015 across all 18 electorates in Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs – which indicated a landslide 17.6% two-party swing against the incumbent CLP government since the last election.[16][17][18]

Defections and minority government

After four defections during the parliamentary term, the CLP was reduced to minority government by July 2015.[19][20] Giles raised the possibility of an early election on 20 July stating that he would "love" to call a snap poll, but that it was "pretty much impossible to do". Crossbenchers dismissed the notion of voting against a confidence motion to bring down the government.[21]

2016 election and electoral changes

Legislation passed in February 2016 changed the voting method of single-member electorates from full-preferential voting to optional preferential voting.[22] The 2016 election is scheduled for 27 August.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Master's apprentice gets lessons in campaigning". The Canberra Times. 24 September 2004. Mr Giles was born on April 10, 1973
  2. ↑ "Row over heritage of NT Chief Minister Adam Giles". The Australian. 14 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Maiden Speeches" (PDF). Northern Territory Parliament. October 2012.
  4. ↑ Finnane, Kieran (6 September 2007). "CDEP assets likely to go to IBA trust". Alice Springs News. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "ACT Division – Fraser". Virtual tally room. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Lewis, B. C. (20 June 2013). "Adam Giles' journey from Blaxland High to running the Northern Territory". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "NT Division – Lingiari". Virtual tally room. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  8. ↑ "Braitling – Northern Territory Votes 2012". ABC News. Australia. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  9. ↑ "Mills dumped as Giles takes top Territory job". ABC News (Australia). 13 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  10. ↑ Everingham, Sara (14 March 2013). "Indigenous politician Adam Giles to replace Terry Mills as NT Chief Minister". AM (ABC Radio) (Australia). Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "Giles denies plot to overthrow Mills". ABC News (Australia). 14 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  12. ↑ Fletcher, James (16 October 2013). "Forced rehab: A solution for Australia's grog addicts?". BBC News.
  13. ↑ Dunlevie, James (3 February 2015). "Adam Giles dumped as NT chief minister in late-night coup, Willem Westra van Holthe elected leader". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles refuses to quit after being dumped in a late-night coup". ABC News (Australia). 3 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Adam Giles remains NT chief minister". SBS News. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  16. ↑ The Australian - Northern Territory poll - 1 March 2015: ReachTEL 2 March 2015
  17. ↑ Adam Giles-led Country Liberals Government facing crushing NT electoral defeat, new poll figures: ABC 3 March 2015
  18. ↑ ReachTEL 18% swing to Labor in Northern Territory: Poll Bludger 3 March 2015
  19. ↑ Kezia Purick quits Northern Territory Country Liberals party, Government loses one-seat majority: ABC 20 July 2015
  20. ↑ Adam Giles would 'love to go to an early election' after Kezia Purick resigns Country Liberals party: ABC 20 July 2015
  21. ↑ Adam Giles would 'love to go to an early election' after Kezia Purick resigns Country Liberals party: ABC 20 July 2015
  22. ↑ Northern Territory Adopts Optional Preferential Voting and Bans Campaigning Near Polling Places: Antony Green 11 February 2016
  23. ↑ Timetable for Future Elections: Antony Green ABC 27 May 2013

External links

Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
Loraine Braham		 Member for Braitling
2008–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Terry Mills		 Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
2013–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
John Elferink		 Treasurer of the Northern Territory
2015–present
Party political offices
Preceded by
Terry Mills		 Leader of the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory
2013–present 		Incumbent
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