Turmoil in the CLP as president resigns
COUNTRY Liberal president Jamie de Brenni has resigned only three months out from the next federal election.
Mr de Brenni was succeeded by vice-president Fiona Darcy, 80, who has promised to lead the party to success at the federal and Territory levels.
The shock resignation of Mr de Brenni came on the first day of the CLP’s central council meeting being held in Palmerston this weekend.
And it follows a tumultuous six months for the party, which has suffered a by-election loss, the resignation of Senator Sam McMahon and concerns the CLP could be deregistered.
Branch members of the CLP had even openly mused about whether the party would be better off becoming a branch of the Liberal or National parties.
Mr de Brenni, who has been in the job for a year, resigned on Saturday morning, claiming it was too difficult to lead the party from Alice Springs.
“I feel that it is logistically untenable for the president’s position to continue to be held outside of Darwin,” he said.
“I am taking this step as I believe it is in the best interest of the party with a federal election pending.
“I would like to thank you all for your support.”
Ms Darcy won a ballot for the party presidency against fellow CLP vice-president Jed Hansen. Insiders said she won the vote over Mr Hansen 38 to 18.
In a statement on Saturday, Ms Darcy said she was humbled to be elected to the position and would turn her attention to the looming federal election, due by the end of May.
“My goals as party president is to ensure that we are supporting our federal candidates so that the Territory has the best representation in Canberra as part of a (Scott) Morrison-led Coalition government, and then looking to ensure we are ready to govern in 2024,” she said.
“I would like to thank the CLP for its faith in me to be able to lead the party and look forward to the challenge.
“I have been a member of the Country Liberal Party for 30 years and over those decades have held many senior roles.”
Ms Darcy also paid tribute to Mr de Brenni, outlining the important role he had played in the party over years.
“I would like to thank Jamie for his hard work over many years as both party president and member of management committee, he has always put the CLP first,” she said.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Jamie as he digs in and supports our terrific federal candidates.”
The CLP’s leader in the NT Legislative Assembly, Lia Finocchiaro, described Mr de Brenni as a “CLP stalwart”.
“I was proud to work with him during his term as president,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
“I wish Jamie well and look forward to seeing him focusing all of his energy in getting Tina MacFarlane, Damien Ryan and Jacinta Price elected.”
Ms Finocchiaro also welcomed Ms Darcy’s ascension to the top job.
“It is a great opportunity for Fiona Darcy to take the reins as we head towards the federal election and I look forward to working with her,” she said.
“Fiona’s decades of experience and passion for the Territory will make her a fabulous party president.”
Rumours of Mr de Brenni’s resignation had been spreading among the ranks of the CLP for the past week.
When the rumours reached the NT News, he did not respond to a request for comment.
His leadership of the CLP’s organisational wing has been mired by setbacks, many of which were out of his control.
Senator Sam McMahon
It is a great opportunity for Fiona Darcy to tak e the reins as we head towards the fe deral election
CLP’s leader in the NT Legislative Assembly Lia Finocchiaro
sensationally lost a preselection battle against Jacinta Price last year.
Senator McMahon quit the CLP eight months later, claiming she had felt unsafe in central council meetings but had received no support from the party.
She denied the party had a problem with women, but alleged the party had not done enough to protect her.
When contacted for comment on Saturday, Senator McMahon’s office declined to comment on Mr de Brenni’s resignation.
Last week, she remarked that she was “saddened” by the chaos engulfing the party.
Both Mr de Brenni and Ms Finocchiaro have said they do not believe the party has a problem with women.
Senator McMahon’s resignation left the CLP with no parliamentarian in Canberra, exposing the party to being deregistered.
Numerous insiders have said the party does not have enough members to qualify as a political party.
The Australian Electoral Commission last week said they were actively discussing the matter with the CLP.
Adding to woes, an explosive series of posts on a secretive Facebook page speculated the CLP could fold and be replaced by a Northern Territory branch of either the Nationals or the Liberals.
Mr de Brenni’s vice president Jed Hansen also appeared at an anti-vaccination mandate rally in Darwin in January, providing Territory Labor with fresh cannon fodder to brand the party as antivaxxers.
In September last year, the parliamentary party was rocked after the CLP lost the long-time safe seat of Daly to the incumbent Labor government.
Many within the party have been unhappy with Mr de Brenni and Ms Finocchiaro’s approach toward vaccination mandates, saying they are too closely mimicking Labor’s policies on health.
After the vote on Saturday, several sources told the NT News they lamented the party’s decline and hoped for fresh leadership.
Two party insiders who were in attendance at the central council meeting said they would have preferred a younger leader to take the reins as president and to help rejuvenate the party.
One noted that the average age in the Northern Territory was 32 and questioned what the organisation was doing to attract younger voters to the party.
Central council meetings of CLP members are held four times a year.
It will continue on Sunday.