‘Wrong choice’: backlash before administrator ceremony
Laine Clark |
A last-minute apology for “racist” social media posts by a territory’s incoming administrator does not change anything, an Aboriginal Elder says.
Northern Territory MP Yingiya Guyula said he did not believe David Connolly’s apology was genuine and urged him to turn down his appointment ahead of his swearing-in ceremony.
Mr Guyula took aim at Mr Connolly as the cattleman prepared to be sworn in as Northern Territory’s administrator – the equivalent of a state governor – in Darwin on Friday following months of backlash.
There have been calls for Mr Connolly’s late 2025 nomination by NT’s Country Liberal Party government to be quashed, put on hold or reviewed due to his questionable X posts.
They included attacks on what he called Indigenous privilege, an apparent mocking of Welcome to Country ceremonies and a re-post describing Mr Albanese as an “arsehole”.
Mr Connolly issued an apology late on Wednesday, saying he deeply regretted his posts that were deleted but had recently re-emerged in the media.
He said in a statement he was genuinely sorry and did not mean to cause offence with the posts that were “no reflection of my personal core values”.
Mr Guyula said it would take more than a last-minute apology for people to believe Mr Connolly was genuinely sorry.
“He has a clear record that everyone can see of being offensive,” he said in a statement to AAP.
“He was the wrong choice for the position.
“He should turn the role down. This would show he can see the damage his views have caused.”
Mr Guyula was among dozens of politicians, advocates and community groups who signed a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requesting he “urgently rescind” the vice-regal appointment to restore public confidence.
The NT MP also issued a personal plea to Mr Albanese to withdraw his support for Mr Connolly.
“He should not be sworn in and elders on Country have the right to say he’s not welcome until he’s proven that he no longer has these racist opinions about our people,” Mr Guyula said in the statement.
“The apology doesn’t change anything at this time.”
Mr Guyula said if Mr Connolly wanted to work towards a genuine apology, he could start by sitting with elders respectfully and learning about their culture, “rather than make judgements from the outside”.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn welcomed the “full apology” after arriving in Darwin for the ceremony, saying she had spoken to Mr Connolly to remind him of the “restraint required” in his upcoming $377,000 per-year gig.
AAP