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Natasha Griggs

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Natasha Griggs
Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 October 2017
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors‑GeneralSir Peter Cosgrove
David Hurley
Preceded byBarry Haase
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Solomon
In office
21 August 2010 – 2 July 2016
Preceded byDamian Hale
Succeeded byLuke Gosling
Personal details
Born
Natasha Louise Griggs

(1969-01-24) 24 January 1969 (age 55)
Adelaide, South Australia
Political partyLiberal
Other political
affiliations		Country Liberal
SpousePaul Griggs
ChildrenAaron
ResidencePalmerston, Northern Territory
Alma materNorthern Territory University
OccupationPolitician

Natasha Louise Griggs (born 24 January 1969) is a former Australian politician. Since 5 October 2017, Griggs has been the Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories.[1]

Griggs was first elected at the 2010 federal election as a Member of the Australian House of Representatives to the division of Solomon, Northern Territory, representing the Country Liberal Party. She sat in the Liberal Party room.[2] She was re-elected at the 2013 federal election, but lost her seat to Labor candidate Luke Gosling at the 2016 federal election.[3]

Background

Griggs was born in Adelaide,[4] moved to the Territory when she was four weeks old and attended primary and secondary schools in Alice Springs before moving to Darwin in 1987 to complete a Bachelor of Business at the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University).[5]

She started her working life in the Northern Territory government in the IT sector. Before her election to public office she had a career in both the Government and private sectors, holding both senior project and business manager positions.[6][self-published source?] In 2002 Griggs was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, undergoing six months of intensive treatment. She beat the illness and returned to work. She remains an advocate for charities and NGO's focused around cancer prevention, research and treatment.[6] Beyond this, Griggs has long been a prominent advocate for community and non-profit organisations, raising $30,000 and being named the Territory's leading fundraiser in 1992.[citation needed]

Griggs stood as an Alderman in 2008 and won election to the Palmerston City Council, during which she was elected by her colleagues to the position of deputy mayor.[6][self-published source?]

Political career

Griggs in 2011

In 2009 she won Country Liberals pre-selection for Solomon, the marginal Labor seat that had been held by Damian Hale since the 2007 election. At the 2010 election, she won with a two-party-preferred margin of 1.75 percent from a 1.94 percent swing. She therefore became the first opposition member in the seat's history.[7] She became the first female member of the House of Representatives to represent the Northern Territory.[8] During her first term she opposed the construction of a nuclear waste facility in the Northern Territory arguing that science, and not politics, should determine its location.[9]

Griggs also campaigned strongly against the removal of houses from RAAF Base Darwin,[10] championed the need for on-going support for Defence Force personnel returning home from deployment overseas and gained bi-partisan support to have 19 February, Bombing of Darwin Day, declared a National Day of Observance.[11]

Between 2010 and 2013 Griggs was a member of three parliamentary committees: the House of Representatives Standing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Committee, the Joint Standing National Capital and External Territories Committee and the Joint Select Australia's Immigration Detention Network Committee.[12]

Griggs was re-elected with a reduced two-party margin of 1.4 percent at the 2013 election as the Coalition won government. Griggs remained a backbencher.

Griggs was one of the founding members of Riding for the Disabled NT.[13] She is Patron of SIDS and Kids NT.[14]

2016 election

Griggs made national headlines two weeks out from the 2016 election after physically taking exception to being filmed on a smartphone at a public local community event. The footage, widely published since, showed Griggs approaching the smartphone user and appearing to act in what was described as a "hostile" and "aggressive" manner, telling the smartphone user to "don't video me!" shortly before appearing to make direct contact with the owner's device which was reported to have hit the ground. Griggs claimed that she was the victim of a "union set-up."[15][16][17]

A MediaReach seat-level opinion poll in Solomon of 513 voters conducted 22−23 June during the 2016 election campaign unexpectedly found Labor heavily leading the Liberals 61–39 on the two-party vote from a large 12.4 percent swing.[18]

At the election, Griggs was heavily defeated by her 2013 Labor opponent, Luke Gosling, at the 2016 election held on 2 July, with Gosling defeating Griggs on a 56–44 two-party vote from a 7.4 percent swing—in both cases, historic Solomon records.[19][20]

The federal election came at a very bad time for the CLP government in the Territory, whose reputation had suffered from a series of cabinet reshuffles—including multiple leadership spills. As it turned out, Griggs' defeat foreshadowed the CLP's massive defeat at the 2016 Territory election. The CLP suffered a near-meltdown in the Darwin/Palmerston area—which is virtually coextensive with Solomon—losing all but one seat there.

Indian Ocean Territories

Griggs was appointed the Administrator of the Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on 5 October 2017.[21] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Griggs declared a state of emergency in the territories on 18 March 2020. Entry was only allowed for local residents and essential staff, and a self-isolation period of 14 days was required for any arrivals.[22]

Personal life

Griggs lives in Palmerston with her husband Paul.[13][23][24]

References

  1. ^ Manicaros, Ashley (4 September 2017). "Natasha Griggs to become Australia's first female Administrator to Christmas Island and Cocos Island". Northern Territory News. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Solomon Results NT- Darwin and Palmerston". ABC Elections.
  3. ^ "Solomon - Australia Votes | Federal Election 2016 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  4. ^ Biography for GRIGGS, Natasha Louise, Parliament of Australia.
  5. ^ "Natasha Griggs". Country Liberals. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  6. ^ a b c About Natasha Archived 27 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Natasha Griggs MP.
  7. ^ "House of Representatives Division First Preferences: Solomon". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Maiden Speech". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  9. ^ http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/02/22/213881_ntnews.html
  10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKsX9t36NYI
  11. ^ http://www.natashagriggs.com.au/tag/bombing-of-darwin/
  12. ^ Mrs Natasha Griggs MP, Parliament of Australia.
  13. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ http://www.sidsandkids.org/offices/northern-territory/about-us/
  15. ^ 'Don't video me': Natasha Griggs confronts protesters (27-second high-resolution video) - ABC 18 June 2016
  16. ^ CLP candidate Griggs in mobile phone incident with unionists: ABC 18 June 2016
  17. ^ Government MP filmed in 'aggressive' phone event: SBS 18 June 2016
  18. ^ An independent poll shows Solomon MP Natasha Griggs will struggle to retain her seat at the federal election: NT News (News Ltd) 27 June 2016
  19. ^ Solomon, NT - Tally Room: Australian Electoral Commission Archived 12 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Northern Territory residents turn out to vote in federal election". Northern Territory News. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  21. ^ "Administrator's role". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Coronavirus—travel ban". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Cops banned from posing with pollies" (PDF). 12 June 2010.
  24. ^ "House debates Thursday, 27 February 2014". My husband, Paul, and I have known Terry for many years and consider him a very good friend
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Solomon
2010–2016 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories
2017–present 		Incumbent
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