I’m about to become Central Australia’s first ever Flying Psychologist to join the Royal Flying Doctor Service team. How sensational is that!!! Covering areas to the east of the Stuart Highway (runs from Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs), it will give me some wonderful opportunities to work with Aboriginal communities in health and education and see for myself the conditions many people are living in…and to assess health, education, housing, social harmony etc. issues. That will be invaluable information for me as an impending MLA.

I’m also preparing an abstract for the Desert Knowledge international symposium being held here in November. It’s about delivering ‘The Journey Story’ in conjunction with Marie Ellis, a local Arrente cultural consultant. Very exciting. We are currently developing the conduit of a series of art works produced by Marie.

So…all in all…a very successful week!!

Deidre Finter (Independent candidate for Lingiari) launched her campaign last night in Katherine. I’m wishing her every possible success in her attempts to become a Member of the House of Representatives.

Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, today announced that a federal election will be held on Saturday 21st August. That’s 5 weeks (840 hours) away in which the politicians will try their hardest to win enough primary votes to form a government. Queensland and Western Australia may ‘pay out’ heavily on the Labor team.

Hopefully, people will look beyond ‘the party machines’ and vote for others outside the party structure. One of these is Deirdre Finter, an IndependeNT candidate for Lingiari who has a sound ‘coal-face’ knowledge of Aboriginal issues across communities in the NT as well as issues for the cultural mixes in the major towns of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and capital city of Darwin.

It’s about the person; not the party!! Party politics contain a representative’s ability to adequately represent their constituency in an impartial manner. Voters need to determine the strength and credibility of each of the candidates on offer. There are at least three parties contesting these elections along with several individuals standing as Independent candidates.

Singer, songwriter, tremendous achiever and proud parent Warren H. Williams is a traditional Aboriginal man with a huge history and significant place in the hearts, minds and spirit of many Centralians and Top-Enders. He is a Senate candidate who would bring a new lease of life to the House of Review.

For all of you who have recently turned 18 (or will by 21st August) you only have this coming Monday to check with your local electoral commission and make sure you’re enrolled to vote. Being 18 brings with it rights and responsibilities. We are so very fortunate that we live in a democracy where our opinions are valued and our positions considered. Being able to vote in an election is one such responsibility we should always consider a right and a privilege.

Warren today announced his candidacy for the next Senate election as a member of the Greens Party. A very passionate and committed Centralian, Warren will make an essential difference to the political landscape. An accomplished singer, songwriter, musician, father, uncle, partner and successful businessman, Warren exudes the essence of what being a cultural leader is within our local community. Proud, passionate and proactive, Warren brings his own sense of ’spirit’ to the landscape. Supported by his equally sensational partner and wife, Heidi, Warren will progress the state of his people and all Centralians through the next election and beyond.

Congratulations, brother…it’s a joy to be associated with you at so many levels.

This election is about selecting the right people not the right (no pun intended) party. For too long, voters have concentrated their efforts on supporting the broader phil-osophy of a particular political party rather that assessing the qualities of the particular person they are electing to represent them. Sometimes that person is attached to a particular political persuasion. That is not to deny them their opportunity but so often people’s principles are compromised when they are forced to follow the ‘party line’.

A few examples…

At the federal level, Midnight Oil’s mega popular Peter Garrett was wooed by the Australian Labor Party in a pre-selection for the seat of Kingsford-Smith. He was co-opted to join forces and help to win the Kevin ‘07 ‘Rudd-slide’ victory sweeping Labor back into office after 11 years of what had become an arrogant and contemptuous conservative coalition. Mr. Garrett’s win saw him elevated to the front bench with portfolios including Environment Protection, Heritage and The Arts. People certainly expected that he would continue on his environmental campaigns against uranium mining and a host of other issues. What happened, it turned out, is that Mr. Garrett ’sold his soul’ to the ALP and had to start spruking the rhetoric if favour of things he had been opposed to in his music for well over a decade. Now, Mr. Garrett is seen as an ALP puppet with little integrity at any level. The ‘party’ has pretty much helped to destroy any integrity he may have established throughout a very distinguished music career and certainly not done any favours for his perception now in the community.

Similarly, the demise of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister was as much a part of ‘the party machine’ deciding it was time for him to go as much as it was Kevin 07’s reluctance to consult his Cabinet around decisions and his almost relentless ‘drive and expectation’ that all of his staff should work the same long hours he chose to. It was ‘the machine’ that decided he had to go – Julia Gillard was simply the next in line for the ‘throne’.

In the Northern Territory, political parties have a similar history…

The former Chief Minister, Clare Martin who sensationally led Territory Labor to victory in 2001 for the first time in 27 years since the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act was created in 1978. She made history (or perhaps that should read ‘herstory’) by becoming the first ALP and first woman Chief Minister of the Northern Territory when Labor won by one seat. In the subsequent 2005 election, Territory Labor had all but decimated the Country-Liberals representation in the Legislative Assembly leaving only 4 members remaining (at the time referred to as the ‘phone box opposition’).

For a variety of reasons, personal, private and political, ‘the machine’ sought to be rid of Ms. Martin once she was considered to be a ‘liability’ to the party rather than an asset. Deals were struck behind ‘closed doors’ in the lead up to the Federal election announced for 24th November, 2007. The ‘deal’ was that once the heat of the Federal election was over and if Rudd won, she would agree to step aside as leader. Rudd won office on 24th November, 2007 and Ms. Martin resigned as Chief Minister 2 days later on 26th November.

The Country-Liberal Party is equally guilty of ‘assassinating’ it’s leaders. Following the decimating defeat of the CLP in the 2005 elections (including the loss of it’s former Opposition leader, Denis Burke), the four remaining CLP members of the Opposition elected Jodeen Carney, an Alice Springs based member as its leader. Ms Carney is a particularly bright, intelligent and popular politician who enjoys the support of over two thirds of her electorate and has held her seat quite comfortably since 2001. In January, 2008 her then deputy, Terry Mills (undoubtedly at the party executive’s request), offered that they ’swap jobs’. Ms. Carney refused as she believed herself to be the best person in the ‘team of 4′ to lead the party. With the result at 2:2, in the media release following her reluctant ‘resignation’, she quoted that she did not believe she would have had the support of the Executive to endorse her continuing as leader. Interestingly, she chose to put ‘the good of the party’ before her own ambitions where as the party had very clearly ’shafted’ her.

This is what political parties do to good people. The ‘machine’ takes on a life of its own and can elevate or destroy careers at its whim.

That’s why it is important to assess the person who is offering themselves to be your parliamentary representative. So before you cast your vote, ask yourself: ‘Is this person going to represent me or the views of the party?’ That’s why I want your input through this web-site or other means that work best for you.

Use Google Earth to get an aerial view of this mine up in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. What a horrible blot on the landscape. No way we want anything like that 25 km from Alice Springs!!

Today marks the 9th Anniversary of Glenn’s and my partnership. He is truely an inspiration to me; the wind beneath my wings. Glenn’s devotion to me and our relationship is so very special. He has grown his own business over that period as well as supporting The Rainbow Connection and so many of my dreams that he’s helped to make a reality.

As we move forward together, my sincere love and thanks to him for all that he is and all that he means to me. Happy Anniversary to my angel on Earth.

The National Aborigines and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) seeks to celebrate the many and varied achievements of Aboriginal or Islander Australians over the course of the previous 12 months. Celebrations in Alice Springs this year will be hosted by Aranda House on Wednesday 7th July from 9am – 3pm. Music supplied by the sensational Warren H. Williams will be complimented by some great ‘bush tucker’ treats supplied by the fabulous Raelene Brown from Kunga’s Can Cook. It’ll be tremendous to see the smiles on the faces of those awarded as they build their pride and celebrate their successes in front of their friends and families.

Knowing full-well this is a US American holiday and is not celebrated in Australia, I thought it a good time to reflect on just what the US Americans celebrate today and why they do.

The Declaration of Independence (principally authored by Thomas Jefferson with four others) was launched on 4th July, 1776. The separation of the American colonies from Great Britain actually occurred 2 days earlier on 2nd July. John Adams, on 3rd July, wrote to his wife suggesting that it would be the 2nd July that would go down in history. As it turned out, the separation and independence were destined to be celebrated on 4th July. Just goes to prove that things into the future don’t always go according to plan!! Today marks the the 234th anniversary of the ‘liberation’ from old traditions and the birth of a new direction.

With that in mind, it’s about celebrating a break from old ties and building new directions forward for me too. My political campaign is designed to achieve a similar outcome. The electorate of Greatorex has only ever been held by conservative members (one independent and two CLP) of the legislative assembly since it was created in 1987 (replacing the abolished electorate of Sadadeen). Whilst acknowledging that the constituent demographic is largely more conservative than liberal, I strongly believe that I have established enough of a positive public, professional and business profile across Alice Springs to secure enough support so that I will become the Member for Greatorex in the next Legislative Assembly.

I am contesting the election for the people of Greatorex; I’m not running against anyone. The only two candidates thus far are the incumbent and myself. I fully expect that the ALP and the Greens will also field candidates. Clearly, the more candidates the better. I won’t be allocating preferences to anyone in particular – that is a judgement each voter can make for themselves. It’s their vote to cast in whatever manner they choose. If some voters are committed to vote along party lines, as is their entitlement, I would simply ask that they allocate me their second preference. I understand that the incumbent is more likely than not to preference me last of the options on the ballot paper. That’s how it works!! If I can yield enough of the primary vote to be combined with ALP and Greens voter preferences, I believe there is enough support out there for me to get over the line!

It’s about being part of moving this great town forward in a positive and proactive manner . A focus on strengthening the social capacity and frameworks of this town by celebrating success, thinking and acting and believing that all great things are possible if we just work together to achieve them. Encouraging people to see themselves as survivors living in hope rather tand victims living in fear. It’s really easy one people are able to change the way they think.

Of course, between now and the proposed election (just over 2 years away) there is much work to be done in those domains through the work I engage in with clients, organisations, groups, political allies and friends. It’s pretty amazing all the learning that comes with this ‘journey’. And at the end of the day it is about the journey and not just the destination.

Our annual show began yesterday and concludes today with a spectacular fireworks display at 7pm. Always a great(orex) event, this year’s show is no exception. This time last year, I was in Prague, the year before in Los Angeles and the year before that in Cairns so it’s been a while between gigs!!

All the regular stuff on offer and despite the wet and cold beginning yesterday, the day improved in warmth and attendance. Glenn & I headed out there around 11.30am yesterday and stayed until about 4pm. Checked out lots of things and I spent some time with some of the politicians currently in the NT Parliament and the Senate.

Off again today to spend some time supporting Deirdre Finter, the Independent candidate for Lingiari at the up-coming federal election.

Yes, folks, IndependeNTs Day is coming!!

While Alice was proudly celebrating ‘all things beanie ‘over this past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend the inaugural Barkly Golden Heart Awards in Tennant Creek last Friday night.

The awards acknowledge the great work achieved by the many fine folk of The Barkly in an outstanding event that demonstrated how a ‘whole-of-community’ can come together to celebrate the significant and sustained achievements of their own. Categories that included success stories in business & industry, the arts, youth achievers, volunteers, sports, organisations and local heroes – the night was a sensational success.

Hosted by local MLA, the Hon. Gerry McCarthy with guest speaker the Hon. Jane Aagaard MLA, the locals shone brightly. Musical entertainment provided by local bands (including the very affable Gerry McCarthy with solo guitar) were a huge hit with those hundreds assembled. Naming a few Tennant Creek ambassadors and presenting the Great Big Golden Heart Award concluded the evening’s formalities with music to follow with live music from Unbroken Expanse (award winners) and The Longtails into the evening.

What a tremendous night for nominees, recipients and gathered guests alike. From where I sat, everyone in The Barkly was a winner!!

Maybe Alice Springs could conduct something similar to highlight the many and varied talents that we have in this great town? We certainly have enough of them. Might need a whole weekend to get through all the winners!