MEMBER for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe says he will not rule out returning to the role of Northern Territory deputy chief minister if it is in the “best interest” of the government.
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The position became vacant on Friday when former deputy chief minister David Tollner resigned from the ministry following a homophobic slur against a government staffer.
Mr Tollner called the staff member a “pillow biter” and a “shirt lifter”, comments which led to his demise as Chief Minister Adam Giles’ right-hand man.
The cabinet met on Monday for the first time since Mr Tollner’s resignation but a decision is yet to be made on who will replace him.
“Everybody wants to stand up and be one of the leaders within the team, and set forth their vision for the Northern Territory,” Mr Giles said.
“I am under no urgency to have a deputy.
“We will go through parliament this week, preferably without a deputy, and we'll just get on and just do business as usual.”
Opposition Leader Delia Lawrie was scathing in her assessment of the situation and said she believed the best replacement was a polling booth, not an existing politician.
“The best choice the CLP could give Territorians is to go to a general election to give people the opportunity to get rid of this circus,” she said.
“The electorate has a history of punishing politicians who don’t meet basic community standards.”
Mr Westra van Holthe currently holds some of the government’s biggest portfolios, including mines and energy, and he admitted that, while he had not made a decision about putting his hand up to replace Mr Tollner, he would not rule it out.
“Look, that’s a decision that I haven’t made yet,” he said.
“Clearly, these matters are for the parliamentary wing to decide.
“My sole focus is really, however, just to make sure government is running smoothly and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, what the voters put us there to do, to govern the Territory.”
The Member for Katherine was promoted deputy chief minister for eight days in 2013 prior to the ousting of former chief minister Terry Mills and said the experience had not soured his ambition to reclaim the position.
“I think there are a whole bunch of factors I’d have to consider,” he said.
“I’ve been serving the public for a very long time … and I’m willing to do what I’m called upon to do.
“If it was in the best interest of government and the Territory, then I’d give [the deputy leadership] very serious consideration.”
While Mr Giles said “there are 12 people who should be vying for the deputy's position”, a CLP source told the Katherine Times Attorney-General John Elferink and Education Minister Peter Chandler were “watercooler favourites” to replace Mr Tollner.