Recent government data on public sector enployment “… shows the average Territory government worker earned a gross salary of about $95,000 …” (NT News 12/11 “NT ‘needs bailout’ p.10). If $95K is the AVERAGE and knowing how little the majority receive, one can only imagine at how many there are on multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

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While understanding the need for the ADF inquiry and follow up, I hope quality and ethicality of service provided in a war zone (of 12 years duration) by the vast majority of our Defence Force personnel will not be compromised nor the quality of service downplayed through the outcomes of what follows. It would be awful to think that the outstanding and ethical contribution by the majority could be tarnished by perceptions generated by examination of minority conduct. And may the pressures of war under which troops operated, remain to the fore during investigative actions to follow.

My Mum taught me that “patience is a virtue”. That is how we need to be in terms of Northern Territory and Australian recovery. For the NT, not only in terms of population growth (headline p.11, 12/11) but also economically, building and consolidation must be part of our strategy. The greatest impediment to turning the NT around, will be impatience and not allowing the time for necessary changes to work.

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