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Australian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nathan Barrett (born 4 February 1976) is a former Australian politician who represented the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly seat of Blain from 2014 to 2016.
Nathan Barrett | |
---|---|
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Blain | |
In office 12 April 2014 – 8 August 2016 | |
Preceded by | Terry Mills |
Succeeded by | Terry Mills |
Personal details | |
Born | Darwin, Northern Territory | 4 February 1976
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Country Liberal Party (2014–16) Independent (2016) |
Spouse | Rebecca Barrett |
Occupation | Port worker, Teacher, Politician |
Barrett was born in Darwin, and has lived in Palmerston for over twenty years. He was a port worker and teacher before entering politics.[1]
Years | Term | Electoral division | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014–2016 | 13th | Blain | Country Liberal | |
2016 | Changed allegiance to: | Independent |
Barrett was elected at a by-election held on 12 April 2014 as a member of the governing Country Liberal Party. The vacancy was caused by the resignation of former Chief Minister Terry Mills.[2] Although Blain, like most seats in the Palmerston area, had historically been CLP heartland, the by-election came at a difficult time for the CLP government. A week after the writ was issued, three indigenous CLP MPs defected to the crossbench. Had Barrett lost, the CLP would have been forced into a minority government.[citation needed] Ultimately, Barrett won, though the CLP suffered a swing of over 10 percent.
In February 2016, Barrett was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Young Territorians, and Minister Assisting the Treasurer.[3] He was slated to become Treasurer after the 2016 estimates hearings. However, on 10 June, when Northern Territory News reported that he had sent a video of himself masturbating to a constituent with whom he had been having an affair, Barrett resigned from Cabinet.[4][5][6]
On 12 June, under growing pressure from the CLP's organisational wing, he announced that he would not contest the upcoming election.[7] He then resigned from the CLP on 28 June 2016, and served out the rest of his term as an independent. In a speech announcing his move to the crossbench, he accused his political enemies of resorting to a base attack to bring him down.[8][9] At that election, Blain was won by Barrett's predecessor, Mills, who ran as an independent.[10]
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