The NT’s two major political parties will be sweating on Monday night when three generations of the Territory’s independent MLAs meet for a public panel discussion about what independents can achieve in Parliament and what voters fed up with current politicians following their parties’ interests instead of the interests of the people can do to bring about change.

The panel event, called ‘Troublemakers, Trailblazers & Territory Politics: How independents challenged the system and changed the NT‘ will hear from former independent MLAs Dawn Lawrie and Gerry Wood, as well as current independent MLA Justine Davis. The event will be moderated by Larrakia Elder Richard Fejo and also includes historian and author Dr Robyn Smith on the panel.

Organisers said the event will be more than recanting the NT’s political history, it will explore what options voters have to consider democracy differently, to consider what the NT can be without the “party political machine or jobs for mates” that has been inflicted on the Territory for too long.

“Too many people feel politics is something that happens to them rather than something they can shape,” said Jacqui Taylor, spokesperson for Voices of the Top End.

“For more than 50 years, independents have shown that political power doesn’t have to come from a party machine, or jobs for mates. It can come from earning the trust of your community, listening to people and being prepared to stand up when it matters.

“At a time when trust in political parties and institutions is under pressure, we want to ask some bigger questions: Who holds political power? Who are our representatives accountable to? And what happens when ordinary people decide they can change the system rather than simply accept it?”

The free public event will be held on Monday September 14 at 6:30pm at the Tracy Village Social and Sports Club.

Ms Taylor said the independent MLAs would be sharing first-hand stories from different eras in NT politics that will provide insight about what it takes to stand outside the major party system, including the campaigning, community organising and the courage to make difficult decisions that comes with it.

She added the event is an invitation for Territorians to “think differently about their own role in democracy”.

“We want people to leave asking: What would Territory democracy look like if more of us believed we had the power to change it,” Ms Taylor said.

Anyone interested in attending the free panel event needs to RSVP at the Voices of the Top End website.

Voices of the Top End started in Febraury 2022 as a series of discussions between Territorians about political representation. Organisers said it is a grassroots movement that is “working for a healthier Territory democracy, where our communities are heard and genuinely represented by the people we elect”.

This story was published on 09 September 2026 in the NT Independent: https://ntindependent.com.au/troublemakers-and-trailblazers-panel-to-explore-impact-of-independent-nt-politics/