Natasha Fyles

Fyles was born in Darwin in 1978 at the old Darwin hospital and grew up in the Northern suburbs. She completed her teaching degree at the University of Canberra and then returned to Darwin, teaching at St Mary's Primary School for five years and was actively involved in School Sports NT during this time.

After travelling and working overseas, she returned to the Territory as executive director of Royal Life Saving Society NT, delivering water safety programs across the Northern Territory in both urban and remote centres and also in neighbouring East Timor.

Natasha joined the Australian Labor Party in 1993. She is aligned with Labor Left.{{cite news |title=Natasha Fyles named as new Northern Territory chief minister |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/13/natasha-fyles-to-be-new-northern-territory-chief-minister |website=The Guardian |date=13 May 2022 |access-date=1 August 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Jano |title=Chief Minister Michael Gunner's resignation has opened the door for a new Northern Territory leader |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-11/michael-gunner-nt-chief-minister-resignation-contenders/101053248 |website=ABC News |date=10 May 2022 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=1 August 2022}}

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In 2012 the incumbent Member for Nightcliff Jane Aagaard retired, and despite a swing against Labor at that year's election, the seat was retained for Labor by Fyles and she was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly as the Member for Nightcliff.

Labor's massive landslide at the 2016 election saw Fyles consolidate her hold on the seat; with a swing in her favour of 17.8 percent and a majority of 26.9 percent, Nightcliff became the safest seat in the Territory. Fyles was again re-elected as the member for Nightcliff in 2020 with a majority of 24.9 percent. Amidst a CLP landslide, she unexpectedly lost re-election at the 2024 election, narrowly being defeated by Greens candidate Kat McNamara.

Labor went into the 2016 territory election as unbackable favourites, with Northern Territory opinion polls indicating a massive swing against the CLP. Labor won 18 seats in the 25-member Legislative Assembly. Fyles was reelected as the Member for Nightcliff and took on the portfolio of Health.

Fyles served as the Attorney-General of the Northern Territory from 31 August 2016 to 7 September 2020. She was succeeded by Selena Uibo.

{{See also|Gunner ministry}}

Fyles was reelected as the Member for Nightcliff in 2020 holding the largest majority in any Northern Territory electorate. She has served as the Minister for Health in the Gunner ministry since 2016 and continues as the Northern Territory's Health Minister following the 22 August 2020 election, which saw the Labor government re-elected.

She was appointed as the Minister for National Resilience to work with the Australian federal government on making Darwin's highly touted Howard Springs Quarantine Facility a ‘centre for national resilience’. This use of this facility is central to the repatriation of Australians stranded overseas due to COVID-19.

Fyles was the also the Leader of Government Business and the Minister for Alcohol Policy, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Minister for Major Events, and Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing.

{{see also|Fyles ministry}}

{{Update section|date=April 2023}}

Chief Minister and Territory Labor leader Michael Gunner announced his resignation on 10 May 2022. Fyles was elected as party leader by the Labor caucus on 13 May 2022, and was sworn in as Chief Minister later that day.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-13/nt-labor-selects-new-chief-minister-after-gunner-resignation/101062564|title=Natasha Fyles sworn in as Northern Territory Chief Minister, replacing Michael Gunner|publisher=ABC News|date=13 May 2022}}

On 24 September 2023, Fyles was allegedly assaulted with a cream-covered pancake by a member of the public at the Sunday markets at Nightcliff.{{cite news|last=Morgan|first=Thomas|date=24 September 2023|title=NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles allegedly assaulted with cream-covered pancake at Nightcliff Markets |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-24/nt-chief-minister-natasha-fyles-assaulted-nightcliff-markets/102895156|work=ABC News|location= |access-date=24 September 2023}}

In November 2023, it was revealed that Fyles held 169 shares in gas company Woodside Energy, attracting conflict-of-interest allegations due to Fyles' approval of fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and of a development of an industrial precinct at Middle Arm. Independent Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, David Pocock, called for further scrutiny of her share portfolio, using an existing Senate inquiry into the Middle Arm precinct.{{Cite news |date=2023-11-14 |title=NT chief minister's shareholding in gas company Woodside attracts federal scrutiny |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-14/nt-chief-minister-woodside-shares-fyles-pocock/103104990 |access-date=2023-12-19}} Fyles defended her share holdings, stating that they had been declared for over a decade and that no conflict of interest was present.{{Cite web |last=Brissenden |first=Neve |date=2023-11-16 |title=NT chief minister ditches controversial Woodside shares |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8426560/nt-chief-minister-ditches-controversial-woodside-shares/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en-AU}} However, she later divested the shares, stating she wanted to 'end the distraction', also claiming that she had declared any financial interests from the past decade.

Despite her previous statements that she had declared all financial interests, in December 2023, it was revealed that she holds 754 undeclared shares in South32, a company that owns a manganese mine on Groote Eylandt. Fyles faced further conflict of interest allegations and calls to resign, due to Fyles' decision earlier in 2023 to not investigate health impacts from the Groote Eylandt mine, with Leader of the Opposition Lia Finocchiaro calling her actions a 'profound betrayal of public trust'.{{Cite news |agency=Australian Associated Press |date=2023-12-19 |title=NT chief minister Natasha Fyles under pressure to resign over alleged undisclosed shares worth $2,000 |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/19/nt-chief-minister-natasha-fyles-resignation-calls-pressure-why-undisclosed-shares |access-date=2023-12-19 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |date=2023-12-19 |title=Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles resigns amid mounting pressure over leadership |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-19/northern-territory-chief-minister-natasha-fyles-to-resign/103245954 |access-date=2023-12-19}} As a result of the controversy, Fyles resigned on 19 December 2023. The next day, Fyles' treasurer, Eva Lawler, was announced as her successor, with Attorney-General Chansey Paech replacing Nicole Manison as Deputy Chief Minister.{{Cite news |date=2023-12-20 |title=Eva Lawler named Northern Territory chief minister after Natasha Fyles resignation |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/20/eva-lawler-named-northern-territory-chief-minister-after-natasha-fyles-resignation |access-date=2023-12-20 |issn=0261-3077}}

Fyles supports a woman's right to have an abortion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/22/abortion-decriminalised-in-northern-territory-after-long-campaign|title=Abortion decriminalised in Northern Territory after long campaign | Abortion | The Guardian|website=amp.theguardian.com}}

Fyles supports the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.{{Cite news |last=Karp |first=Paul |date=2023-01-31 |title=State and territory leaders to sign joint statement backing Indigenous voice to parliament |language=en-AU |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/01/state-and-territory-leaders-to-sign-joint-statement-backing-indigenous-voice-to-parliament |access-date=2023-05-25 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901031424/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/01/state-and-territory-leaders-to-sign-joint-statement-backing-indigenous-voice-to-parliament |url-status=live |archive-date=1 September 2023}}

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Category:1978 births

Category:21st-century Australian politicians

Category:21st-century Australian women politicians

Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Category:Australian schoolteachers

Category:Attorneys-general of the Northern Territory

Category:Chief ministers of the Northern Territory

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Category:People from Darwin, Northern Territory

Category:University of Canberra alumni

Category:Women members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Category:Labor Left politicians