Alison Anderson and Larissa Lee's reported plan to abandon the PUP 'predictable', Chief Minister says
Northern Territory MLAs Alison Anderson and Larisa Lee's reported plan to abandon the Palmer United Party (PUP) is predictable, NT Chief Minister Adam Giles says, after News Corp publications reported Ms Anderson calling the party a "national disgrace".
The duo, who quit the ruling Country Liberals Party (CLP) in March to become independents and then joined the PUP the next month, will become independents again, according to the report in The Australian newspaper.
The PUP has been Ms Anderson's third political party in 10 years after serving with Labor from 2005 to 2009 and then the CLP.
The pair did not return the ABC's calls today.
Mr Giles said in a statement their reported plan to abandon the PUP was "predictable" and he warned party leader Clive Palmer in April this would happen.
"Alison Anderson and Larisa Lee are fair weather friends without any political conviction, who simply can't be trusted," he said.
"They simply have no credibility anymore and have once again proven they're in this for themselves.
"They only wanted Clive's money and when the flights in his private jet stopped they dropped him like they've dropped everyone else."
The Australian reported Ms Anderson and Ms Lee felt the PUP had left them in the dark.
"It has been a total embarrassment, I guess, that we joined with PUP to see this absolute chaos happening," Ms Anderson told the newspaper.
"It's now time for us to sit as independents."
This week Tasmanian senator Jacquie Lambie resigned from the PUP after a public spat with Mr Palmer.
Should Ms Anderson and Ms Lee do the same, the PUP would no longer have any members in the NT Parliament.
Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu, who also left the Country Liberals to join the PUP in March, returned to the ruling party in September.
The ABC has contacted Mr Palmer for comment.
