Natasha Fyles is an Australian politician and former educator who held the position of the 12th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and Minister for Health. She led the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party from May 2022 until her resignation in December 2023.
Bio/Wiki
Age- 45 years
Height-Not Available
Weight-Not Available
Full name-Natasha Kate Fyles
Born- 26 May 1978
Birthplace-Darwin, Australia
Spouse-Paul Archbold
Profession-Politician
Nationality- Australian
Office-Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since 2022
Parents
Born in Darwin in 1978 at the old Darwin hospital, Fyles was raised in the Northern suburbs. Details about her parents remain undisclosed.
Husband and Children
Natasha Fyles is married to Paul Archbold in 2000, and together they have two sons named Henry and Oliver.
Education
After completing her teaching degree at the University of Canberra, she returned to Darwin. Fyles teaching at St Mary’s Primary School for five years and actively participated in School Sports NT during this period.
Career
Early Career
After her international travels and work experiences, she returned to the Territory as the Executive Director of Royal Life Saving Society NT. In this role, she spearheaded water safety programs across urban and remote areas in the Northern Territory, including the neighboring Republic of Timor-Leste.
Natasha Fyles joined the Australian Labor Party in 1993, aligning herself with Labor Left. In 2012, she secured the Labor-held seat of Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, succeeding the retiring Jane Aagaard. Despite a swing against Labor in that year’s election, Fyles retained the seat.
The 2016 election marked a significant victory for Labor, and Fyles solidified her position in Nightcliff with an impressive 18 percent swing, establishing it as the safest seat in the Territory with a majority of 26.9 percent. She maintained this stronghold, being reelected in 2020 with a substantial majority of 24.9 percent, continuing to hold the title of having the safest seat in the Northern Territory.
Political Career
In the lead-up to the 2016 territory election, Labor was heavily favored, and opinion polls indicated a substantial swing against the Country Liberal Party (CLP). Labor secured victory by winning 18 seats in the 25-member Legislative Assembly. Natasha Fyles was successfully reelected as the Member for Nightcliff and assumed the role of Health Minister.
From August 31, 2016, to September 7, 2020, Fyles served as the Attorney-General of the Northern Territory, succeeded by Selena Uibo. Her re-election in 2020 marked the largest majority in any Northern Territory electorate. Continuing as the Minister for Health in the Gunner ministry, Fyles retained her position after the August 22, 2020, election, which saw the Labor government re-elected.
She took on the role of Minister for National Resilience, collaborating with the Australian federal government to transform Darwin’s Howard Springs Quarantine Facility into a ‘centre for national resilience.’ This facility plays a crucial role in the repatriation of Australians stranded overseas due to COVID-19.
Additionally, Fyles served as the Leader of Government Business and held several other ministerial portfolios, including Minister for Alcohol Policy, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Minister for Major Events, and Minister for Racing, Gaming, and Licensing.
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
Chief Minister and Territory Labor leader Michael Gunner announced his resignation on May 10, 2022. Following this, Fyles was elected as the party leader by the Labor caucus on May 13, 2022, and she was sworn in as Chief Minister later that day.
On September 24, 2023, Fyles was reportedly assaulted with a cream-covered pancake by a member of the public at the Sunday markets at Nightcliff.
Natasha Fyles Controversy
In November 2023, it was disclosed that Fyles owned 169 shares in the gas company Woodside Energy. This revelation sparked conflict-of-interest allegations, given Fyles’ endorsement of fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and the development of an industrial precinct at Middle Arm. Independent Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, David Pocock, urged a closer examination of her share portfolio within the ongoing Senate inquiry into the Middle Arm precinct. Fyles defended her share holdings, asserting that they had been declared for over a decade, and she insisted there was no conflict of interest. However, she later divested the shares, expressing a desire to “end the distraction” and maintaining that she had disclosed any financial interests from the past decade.
Natasha Fyles Resigns over Undisclosed Mining Shares worth $2,000
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Natasha Fyles, has announced her resignation after it was revealed that she failed to disclose shares in a manganese mine. Fyles acknowledged the omission during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, specifically mentioning a few shares in South32, the company overseeing a controversial mine in Groote Eylandt. Earlier this year, Fyles faced criticism for not investigating air pollution levels or health impacts related to potential manganese dust leaks in the same community. This resignation comes in the wake of a prior controversy involving undisclosed shareholdings in Woodside, which Fyles divested last month. Additionally, she faced scrutiny for employing a political consultant linked to a lobbying firm with gas company Tamboran among its clients.
On Tuesday, Fyles assured reporters that she had consistently made efforts to appropriately declare her shareholdings.
“Upon further review of my personal interests, it became clear that I did not declare one of these – a small shareholding in a company called South 32, which came from a BHP demerger in 2015.
“That was an error on my behalf and I do not have any excuse for it.
“It was not deliberate or intentional but it is unacceptable. I can assure you that no decision I have ever made has been influenced by that small shareholding.”
She said the “honourable course of action is to resign as Chief Minister”.
“I care too much about the territory, I care too much about our government and what it has achieved, to allow my personal mistake to impact on our progress. There is no point dragging it out.”
Fyles stated her intention to take a break and return in the New Year to campaign for reelection in her constituency of Nightcliff and the reelection of the Northern Territory Labor government.
Natasha Fyles Net Worth
Natasha Fyles’s estimated net worth or net income is in the range of $1 million to $5 million dollars.
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