BY ROB INDER-SMITH
DARWIN — Socialist Alliance senate candidate Gary Meyerhoff dropped a bombshell on live television on October 4 when he suggested that Northern Territory's chief minister Clare Martin had "just lied to us on national TV" about her government's commitment to repeal mandatory sentencing.
The hot potato caused Martin to blush and show anchorperson George Negus to go into damage control came during a live telecast of the popular ABC TV series Australia Talks, which staged before a lively 200-strong studio audience in the entertainment centre's studio theatre.
From the outset, the audience was cynical because of composition of the panel. As well as Martin, there was assistant federal defence minister Brendan Nelson, federal Labor MP Duncan Kerr, the far-right Queensland federal independent MP Bob Katter and comedian Paul McDermott.
Martin was caught off-guard by Meyerhoff. Negus was forced to say, "Careful, careful. I am seriously warning you" and "They're serious ... harsh words" before Meyerhoff persisted, calmly repeating Martin's pledge to repeal NT's mandatory sentencing laws. Then came the sting in the tail of Meyerhoff's question: "When another person hangs themselves in Don Dale (detention Centre) will that be (former chief minister) Dennis Burke's fault or your fault?".
While sections of the audience applauded, it was clear that the question had come as a shock. As Meyerhoff, seated in the front row, began to elaborate the cameras swung back to the panel and Negus was heard to say, "She's already answered that question".
In fact, she had not. What Meyerhoff wanted to put on the record was that in August, she and her Labor party broke the Country Liberal Party's stranglehold of NT's government on a platform that included a promise to revoke mandatory sentencing — but with the operative words were "for property crime".
Meyerhoff's question related to the deaths in custody that are indirectly caused by mandatory sentencing laws and which will remain in place for those convicted of drug offences and serious crimes such as murder.
Martin has not told the NT people this, and even though she did not lie in the strictest sense of the word, she has withheld information which is as good as lying.
The show was a triumph for the Socialist Alliance. The day after, this was reflected in an unsolicited remark to Meyerhoff by respected ABC radio host Julie Christiansen, who told him, 'Your people did very well last night'.
Of the seven alliance members in the audience, four either asked questions or rebutted statements by the panellists.
Another first, although it was not broadcast, was the unfurling of a new flag by the First Nations of Australia political party. The flag consists of an all-black Australian continent beside three horizontal stripes coloured black, white and brown, "The colours of our population", as the man, Maurie, who unravelled it explained. Maurie was one of only a few indigenous people in the audience.