The Northern Territory's incoming Administrator has issued a last-minute apology for past social media posts that have been described as racist and have angered prominent Indigenous Territorians.
David Connolly, the former president of the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association, is due to be sworn in on Friday as the Territory's 24th Administrator after being nominated in December by Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.
The Administrator role — equivalent to a state governor — is intended to be politically neutral and carries a salary of $377,000.
The appointment has drawn criticism over Mr Connolly's past online activity, including criticism of Welcome to Country ceremonies, mockery of Indigenous languages, disparaging remarks about women and the Prime Minister, and jokes about domestic violence.
The Northern Territory Government has refused to withdraw the nomination, arguing the opposition has made the appointment a "race issue".
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In a now-deleted 2024 post about Elders charging for Welcome to Country ceremonies, Mr Connolly wrote: "Hmmm welcome to my house; that'll be $3,000 thanks".
In a separate post from 2020, Mr Connolly claimed Indigenous people were fast-tracked through the medical system, saying the "non-Indigenous have to wait on the system, the Indigenous are fast-tracked, and paid for".
"Interestingly, kids from the station school have to self-fund their sport, the Indigenous kids do not have to. The boarding school kids have to fund their travel to and from school, the Indigenous kids do not. The taxpayer pays for it," he said.
"So, I see bias up here in the NT directed at what benefits certain people get, and what others don't get. I see anger at the concessions and unfairness more than any racism."
Late on Wednesday, Mr Connolly apologised, even as senior Labor MPs confirmed they would boycott Friday's swearing-in ceremony by Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Parliament. He said he is "committed to upholding the standards the community rightly expects".
"I deeply regret the past social media posts I made; I never intended to cause offence," Mr Connolly said in the statement on Wednesday night.
"I am genuinely sorry for the hurt they may have caused members of the community.
"These posts are no reflection of my personal core values."
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Ms Mostyn told ABC Radio she was pleased to see" Mr Connoly's apology, noting, "It seemed to me to be unreserved."
"I make no comment about the choice of him as Administrator, it wouldn't be right for me to do that, but I must come, and I must give effect to it in the parliament tomorrow," Ms Mostyn said.
"I don't want people to think I don't understand the background to this, but it would be most inappropriate for me to offer a political or personal view. It's part of the restraint I always show in the job, it doesn't mean that I don't care.
"I've always shown respect to First Nations people, to women's organisations, so people know what I care about and what I brought into office," she said. "I think that should be self evident. Those views of mine don't mean that I can prevent or step in and not do my job as governor general."
A "community meeting" is planned outside Parliament on Friday to protest the swearing-in. Labor's Special Envoy for Remote Communities, Marion Scrymgour, described the appointment as an "appalling pick" and confirmed she will boycott the ceremony.
Arguing Mr Connolly is "not fit to be Administrator", Ms Scrymgour — whose electorate of Lingiari covers all remote Indigenous communities in the Territory — said Territorians have "every right to be upset at the Chief Minister for picking this bloke".
"His social media comments attacking Indigenous Australians, mocking domestic violence victim survivors, the sexualisation of female athletes and multiple vulgar references are not those of a suitable for the high office of Administrator," she said.
"His offensive comments and opinions show a complete disconnect with the Northern Territory community."
On Monday, Ms Finocchiaro defended her decision. Despite criticism over Mr Connolly's comments, she said it was the crossbench and opposition who were "making it a race issue".
"He is the Administrator now and people should have some respect," she told Mix 104.9. "People can make mistakes, people can have personal views."
