Nathan Barrett (politician)

Nathan Barrett (born 4 February 1976) is an Australian politician who represented the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly seat of Blain from 2014 to 2016. He won the seat at the 2014 Blain by-election caused by the resignation of former Chief Minister Terry Mills.^[1]

Barrett was born in Darwin, and has lived in Palmerston for over twenty years. He was a port worker and teacher before entering politics.^[2]

He was originally elected as a member of the governing Country Liberal Party, and in February 2016 was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Young Territorians, and Minister Assisting the Treasurer.^[3] He was slated to become Treasurer after the 2016 estimates hearings. However, this was brought undone on 10 June, when Northern Territory News reported that he had sent a video of himself engaging in a sex act to a constituent with whom he had been having an affair. Within hours of the story breaking, Barrett resigned from cabinet.^[4][5]

On 12 June, under growing pressure from the CLP's organisational wing, he announced that he would not run for a full term in the upcoming election.^[6] He then resigned from the CLP on 28 June 2016, and served out the rest of his term as an independent.^[7] At that election, Blain was won by Barrett's predecessor, Mills, who ran as an independent.^[8]

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