Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Senator Sam McMahon announces she will become a Liberal Democrat to run for the upcoming Federal election

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Senator Sam McMahon announces she will become a Liberal Democrat to run for the upcoming Federal election · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And outgoing Northern Territory Senator Sam McMahon has made the
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: decision that she's going to run in the upcoming election
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  Speaker 1: and try to win back her job in the Australian Parliament.
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  Speaker 1: She is going to be running with the Liberal Democrats,
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  Speaker 1: and she joins me on the line right now, Good
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  Speaker 1: morning to your senator.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, good morning to you, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: How are you very well?
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  Speaker 1: Big decision obviously this morning. I'm going to be running
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  Speaker 1: for the Liberal Democrats.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie. Look, it is a big decision. And I
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  Speaker 2: know there's some people that out there that are going
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  Speaker 2: to say, oh, that's no surprise, we knew that was
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: going to happen. But I think they would have said
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  Speaker 2: that no matter what I said, I was going to do.
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  Speaker 2: This was only a decision that was made two days ago.
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  Speaker 2: Up until that period, I was quite convinced in my
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  Speaker 2: own mind and in my heart that I wasn't going
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  Speaker 2: to run. But anyway, a string of circumstances have changed
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  Speaker 2: my mind and I'm very much do not want to
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  Speaker 2: see this country go into the next three years with
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  Speaker 2: the Labor Greens government, and I feel very strongly that
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  Speaker 2: we need to offer a credible alternative Conservative Party in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. There are so many people disillusioned with
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  Speaker 2: what they've got at the moment, and I don't want
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  Speaker 2: to see them fall to the Labor Greens.
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  Speaker 1: Senator, what is those string of circumstances that made you
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  Speaker 1: change your mind over the last couple of days.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, Katie, I mean, obviously it's been well reported
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  Speaker 2: that I've been approached by numerous minor parties to run
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  Speaker 2: for them, and I've also had a lot of encouragement
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  Speaker 2: from territorials saying we want to see you run as
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  Speaker 2: an independent. I went down to Canberra last week with
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  Speaker 2: my staff to pack up my office and they did.
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  Speaker 2: It looked lovely. I gave my valedictory speech on Wednesday.
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  Speaker 2: I was quite I was quite convinced at that stage
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  Speaker 2: that I was done with politics. There was a string
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  Speaker 2: of small things, and you know, one example that I
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  Speaker 2: gave this morning was that you know, I had committed
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  Speaker 2: to stay within the coalition, to remain part of government
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  Speaker 2: until I served out my term, and that I would
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  Speaker 2: not offer my services to any other party. Well, you know,
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  Speaker 2: on Thursday my staff were told categorically they were not
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  Speaker 2: welcome to attend a Coalition staff meeting, so you know, clearly,
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  Speaker 2: clearly I'm not part of government anymore and I'm not
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  Speaker 2: going to get to serve out my term as part
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  Speaker 2: of government. So that that was just one example of
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  Speaker 2: things that happened that you know, eventually came together. And
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  Speaker 2: it's always a group of small things, you know, not
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  Speaker 2: usually one big thing that convinced me to change my mind.
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  Speaker 1: I've got to say, I'm surprised that you're running for
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  Speaker 1: the Liberal Democrats. I certainly thought, you know, and I
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  Speaker 1: know it's a difficulty obviously because Sinnats are associated with
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  Speaker 1: the with the CELP. But I would have thought that
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  Speaker 1: that that was, you know, that was the party that
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  Speaker 1: was for you, the National Party.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look it is. I mean, I've been very closely
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  Speaker 2: associated I sit with the National Party. I'm very good
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  Speaker 2: friends with a lot of people in the National Party,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, yes, and look, Katie, if that had
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  Speaker 2: been an option, they would they would obviously be you know,
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  Speaker 2: the party of closely associated with and they they would
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  Speaker 2: obviously be the choice that I would I would have
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  Speaker 2: run with. But that that just wasn't an option, So
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  Speaker 2: I mean, that was that was off the table. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, of all the parties that approached me, the
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  Speaker 2: Liberal Democrats were probably the most closely or definitely the
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  Speaker 2: most closely associated with my philosophies and my beliefs and
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  Speaker 2: u and with wanting to do what's best for the territory.
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  Speaker 1: And so what makes the Liberal Democrats the right party
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  Speaker 1: for you? What they want to do for the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory that appeals to you enough to be running for them.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, the Northern Territory is a fairly new space
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  Speaker 2: for them, So they're going to be guided by myself
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  Speaker 2: and others up here. They're very they're a party that's
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  Speaker 2: very pro individual choices, individual freedoms and individual responsibilities. And
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  Speaker 2: I think you know historically that that is just the territory.
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  Speaker 2: That is why we love it up here. We have
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  Speaker 2: freedom to achieve, freedom to do things we want to do,
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  Speaker 2: and we Territorians do believe in in individual choice individual responsibility.
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  Speaker 2: Now and you know, in recent years that's been progressively
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  Speaker 2: taken away from us. So I think that will really
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  Speaker 2: resonate with Territorians that you know, here's a party that's there,
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  Speaker 2: conservative party that shares the territory's fundamental beliefs.
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  Speaker 3: So Sam tell Us you're going to run.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, it's going to mean that you'll be running for
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  Speaker 1: for the Senate again. I understand that your your electoral officer,
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  Speaker 1: Kylie Bonnani is also going to be running for the
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  Speaker 1: Liberal Democrats.
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  Speaker 3: Is that right?
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  Speaker 1: Yep?
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  Speaker 2: That is that is correct, Katie. I mean, I think
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  Speaker 2: she came out a week or so ago Etia and
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  Speaker 2: announced that she was going to run as an independent
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  Speaker 2: for Solomon. She's you know, obviously you know, I won't
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  Speaker 2: speak to Kylie, but she's also been looking around for,
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  Speaker 2: you know, potential alternatives to being an independent, and she,
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  Speaker 2: you know, came to the conclusion the same that I did,
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  Speaker 2: that of the alternatives that were available, that the Liberal
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  Speaker 2: Democrats were the best hit and so.
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  Speaker 1: So obviously she's going to be running as as a
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  Speaker 1: Liberal Democrats candidate now for Solomon, You'll be running for
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  Speaker 1: the Senate.
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  Speaker 3: Look sad. There'll be some people thinking that all this.
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  Speaker 1: Is going to do is split the conservative vote.
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  Speaker 2: Yet, look, I know that some people are going to
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  Speaker 2: think that. You know, look, I have a different point
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  Speaker 2: of view. Like I said, I see the vote now,
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  Speaker 2: you know, people that don't want to vote for the
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  Speaker 2: seal p or what other conservative options we have, we'll
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  Speaker 2: be going to the Greens, Labor or you know, some
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  Speaker 2: other you know, obscure minor parties, and I don't want
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  Speaker 2: to see that. I'd rather see the vote stay with
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  Speaker 2: a mainstream conservative party, and you know, if we can
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  Speaker 2: offer a credible alternatives, I'd rather see them come and
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  Speaker 2: vote for us than vote for Labor or the Greens.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, look, I mean, I'm not going to
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  Speaker 2: prevent what, you know, preferences or anything are going to flow.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, I think if they've got the option
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  Speaker 2: to vote for another conservative other than go for Green Labor,
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  Speaker 2: then that would be better than them only having an
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  Speaker 2: option that they don't like.
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  Speaker 1: So the reality here is that you're probably going to
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  Speaker 1: see a situation where the Conservatives are preferencing each other.
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  Speaker 2: Look, you'd highly expect so, I mean, that's un preempting.
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  Speaker 2: That's obviously yet to be worked out, but you would
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  Speaker 2: certainly believe that that would be the case, and that therefore,
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  Speaker 2: you know, if one conservative alternative didn't get up that preferences,
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  Speaker 2: would would you know, put the other across the line?
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  Speaker 1: Now, I guess there'll be there are you know, these
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  Speaker 1: more announcements this morning, or obviously Tom Morgan in the
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  Speaker 1: NT News is reporting that Peter Styles and Linda Fasildean
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  Speaker 1: have resigned from the CLP. Sam Is the CLP in
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  Speaker 1: a state of disarray or what is going on here? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Look, and I wasn't aware of that decision or that
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  Speaker 2: announcement until I until I actually saw it in the
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  Speaker 2: NT News, So that came as quite a shock this morning. Look, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: I I left the CLP in in January, so I'm
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  Speaker 2: probably not the best place to comment on what's happening
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  Speaker 2: in there now, but you'd certainly have to think so.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, since I left, the president has resigned as president,
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  Speaker 2: the you know, the deputy president has resigned from the
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  Speaker 2: party altogether. And then you've got several high profile people
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  Speaker 2: such as as Kylie and certainly Peter and Linda. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: they have been absolute stall warts of the party for many,
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  Speaker 2: many years, and you know, they've they've copped a lot
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  Speaker 2: of they've copped a lot from the party over the years,
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  Speaker 2: and they've sort of kept their chins up and kept
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  Speaker 2: supporting loyally. So you know, I just wonder, if you know,
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  Speaker 2: for them to resign, there's something terribly terribly wrong. And yes,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I've given my reasons for leaving, and that's
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  Speaker 2: one thing, but for all these other people to since resign,
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  Speaker 2: there's you know, there's something terribly wrong with the disunity,
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  Speaker 2: disharmony this organization within the party.
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  Speaker 1: Is it the party wing as in sorry, is it
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  Speaker 1: the parliamentary crew or is it the actual party where
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  Speaker 1: there's this unity.
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  Speaker 2: Look again, i'm probably, you know, certainly not the best
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  Speaker 2: place to comment on what's happened over the last couple
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  Speaker 2: of months, But I don't perceive any problem with the
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  Speaker 2: parliamentary wing. They seem to be doing a great job
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  Speaker 2: and they're getting on with it. The disharmony and the
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  Speaker 2: complete breakdown in infrastructure seems to be with the actual
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  Speaker 2: party itself, And I mean certainly that was that was
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  Speaker 2: my issue with the management Committee of the party, that
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  Speaker 2: I had made complaints to them, as was actually requested
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  Speaker 2: by the President to put some complaints in writing, which
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  Speaker 2: I did and they were completely ought. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: my my issue was certainly with the party, not the
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  Speaker 2: not the wing.
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  Speaker 1: I have got a message here that said, is it
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  Speaker 1: a matter of the old boys or the disgruntled no
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  Speaker 1: longer getting their way, so they're leaving the CLP.
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  Speaker 2: I definitely don't think so, because a lot of the
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  Speaker 2: people that had left, and you know, Jed Hanson certainly won,
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  Speaker 2: and there are I won't name the others, but I
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  Speaker 2: know of several others that are actually the younger, newer
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  Speaker 2: crop coming through. If you liked that that we're young, enthusiastic,
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  Speaker 2: had ideas and they're now gone, they've resigned.
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  Speaker 3: Is Jed going to be joining the Liberal Democrats as
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  Speaker 3: well or no?
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  Speaker 2: I have no idea, Katie. I. I haven't spoken to Jed,
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  Speaker 2: not for about a week or so, and certainly that
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  Speaker 2: wasn't on my radar. That's stage, so I haven't spoken
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  Speaker 2: to him about it at all. I don't know.
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  Speaker 1: That's so at this stage are certainly you and and
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  Speaker 1: Kylie Banani, Sam do you know of others?
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  Speaker 2: I know of a lot of people that have expressed
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  Speaker 2: a desire to join another party, that have said, look,
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  Speaker 2: if another conservative party started up in the territory, I've
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  Speaker 2: joined tomorrow. A lot of people have expressed that opinion
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  Speaker 2: to me. Whether they actually carry through with that, I
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  Speaker 2: don't know, and I don't know personally of any anyone
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  Speaker 2: else that's lining up to run for.
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  Speaker 1: Them, So Mark I can answer that well, Senator Sam McMahon,
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  Speaker 1: it is certainly going to be interesting.
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  Speaker 3: Is the Prime Minister going to call this election today
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  Speaker 3: or wash?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I don't know. That's that's a question that seems
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  Speaker 2: to have been baffling everybody, even everybody in Canberra. Normally
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: people have an opinion, but everyone I've spoken to my
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: parliamentary colleagues is like, I really don't know. So you'd
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: think you'd think he would either call it today or Sunday.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: You'd think that would be the case.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it's certainly going to be an interesting race. How
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  Speaker 1: do you think things are going to pan out between
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  Speaker 1: you and and and just enter price?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I'll I'm not I'm not underestimating the fact
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  Speaker 2: that it will be a hard slog. You know, it's
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  Speaker 2: always always traditionally been Labor and CLP, but you know
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  Speaker 2: we've we've never had a strong conservative alternative in there
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  Speaker 2: as well, so it will it will certainly be interesting, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: And I'm certainly not underestimating the battle ahead.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Sam McMahon, we always appreciate your time, and no
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  Speaker 1: doubt we will definitely be speaking again soon. I thought
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  Speaker 1: the last time we spoke might have been the last
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  Speaker 1: time for a little while, but we'll be talking to
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  Speaker 1: you again soon.
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  Speaker 3: By the look of.
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  Speaker 1: Things, sound like it, Katie, thank youppreciate your time.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you