Adam Giles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Adam Giles
Giles in 2015
10th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
In office 14 March 2013 – 31 August 2016
Deputy	Dave Tollner Peter Chandler Willem Westra van Holthe Peter Styles
Administrator	Sally Thomas John Hardy
Preceded by	Terry Mills
Succeeded by	Michael Gunner
Leader of the Country Liberal Party
In office 14 March 2013 – 2 September 2016
Deputy	Dave Tollner (2013–14) Peter Chandler (2014–15) Willem Westra van Holthe (2015–2016) Peter Styles (2016)
Preceded by	Terry Mills
Succeeded by	Gary Higgins
Member of the Northern Territory Parliament for Braitling
In office 9 August 2008 – 27 August 2016
Preceded by	Loraine Braham
Succeeded by	Dale Wakefield
Personal details
Born	Adam Graham Romer (1973-04-10) 10 April 1973 (age 52) Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Country Liberal Party
Residence	Alice Springs
Cabinet	Giles Ministry

Adam Graham Giles (born 10 April 1973) is an Australian former politician. He was the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2013 to 2016. He also led the Country Liberal Party (CLP) in the Parliament of the Northern Territory. Adam Giles made history as the first Indigenous Australian to lead a government in Australia.

Giles became a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for the area of Braitling in 2008. His party, the Country Liberal Party, won the election in 2012. Less than a year later, Giles became the Chief Minister and party leader. His government faced challenges, including members leaving the party. In the 2016 election, his government was heavily defeated. Adam Giles also lost his own seat in that election. After leaving politics, he started hosting a current affairs TV show.

Early Life and Career

Adam Giles was born in Springwood, New South Wales. His birth name was Adam Graham Romer. His mother is of Anglo-Saxon background. His father's family came from the Kamilaroi people, an Indigenous Australian group. Adam took his stepfather's last name, Giles, after his parents separated.

After finishing high school, Giles studied accounting and real estate. He worked in property management. Later, he managed public housing for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). This was a government agency that helped Indigenous Australians. He then moved to Canberra. There, he worked as an advisor on social and economic policy for government departments. He also ran for election as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Australia in 2004.

Political Career in the Northern Territory

Adam Giles worked with the Northern Territory's Indigenous Economic Taskforce. This work took him across the Territory. He eventually settled in Alice Springs. In 2007, he ran for the federal seat of Lingiari but did not win.

In 2008, Giles was chosen to run for the seat of Braitling. This seat was in Alice Springs. He won the election easily. This made Braitling a strong seat for the Country Liberal Party again. After the 2012 Northern Territory election, Giles became a government minister. He was in charge of transport, infrastructure, and local government.

Becoming Chief Minister

Adam Giles became the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory on 14 March 2013. He replaced Terry Mills as the leader of the Country Liberal Party. This happened while Mills was away on a trip. Giles became the first Indigenous person to lead a government in an Australian state or territory.

As Chief Minister, Giles's government introduced new rules about alcohol. They brought in mandatory alcohol rehabilitation for people who often had problems with drinking.

Challenges as Chief Minister

In February 2015, another politician, Willem Westra van Holthe, challenged Giles for the leadership of the party. Westra van Holthe was chosen as the new leader by the party members. However, Giles refused to step down as Chief Minister. After some discussions, Giles remained Chief Minister, and Westra van Holthe became his deputy.

Over time, four members of the Country Liberal Party left the party. This meant the CLP no longer had enough members to form a majority government by themselves. They became a minority government in July 2015. This meant they needed support from other politicians to pass laws.

Port of Darwin Lease

In October 2015, Giles's government leased the Port Darwin to a Chinese company for 99 years. This deal was worth A$506 million. Some people were concerned about this lease. The port is important for defense, and the company's owner had close ties to the Chinese government. The port is also near Australian and U.S. military bases.

2016 Election and Aftermath

The 2016 Northern Territory general election was held on 27 August. Before the election, polls showed that the Country Liberal Party was likely to lose. The party had lost a lot of support.

On election night, the Country Liberal Party suffered a huge defeat. It was the worst loss for a sitting government in the Territory's history. Adam Giles admitted defeat. He said it was a "landslide" and a "thumping."

Most of Giles's government ministers lost their seats. Adam Giles also lost his own seat of Braitling. He lost to the Labor Party candidate, Dale Wakefield, by a very small number of votes. This made him the second Chief Minister in the Northern Territory to lose his own seat while in office. After the election, Giles resigned as leader of the Country Liberal Party.

Media Career

In May 2018, Adam Giles began hosting a weekly discussion show. The show was called The Adam Giles Show and aired on Sky News Australia.

In August 2018, Giles interviewed a controversial figure. After public complaints, his show was temporarily stopped. Sky News stated that featuring the interview was a "mistake." The show returned to air a couple of months later.

See also

• 2013 Country Liberal Party leadership spill
• 2015 Country Liberal Party leadership spill
• 2016 Northern Territory general election