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‘That is correct.’

Frowns creased a few foreheads and a couple of the members made notations on copies of the minutes in front of them. The member for Arnhem Land raised his hand, and the chairman nodded for him to go ahead.

‘For exploration to occur I believe an access agreement with the owner is required under section 28B? Is that correct? And the owner of the land in question will change if the boundary change is approved?’

The chairman nodded and the member’s voice rose as he spoke against the vote. ‘Isn’t it most unusual to recommend a boundary change to a federally administered national park?’

Good, David thought, another one who’s against it.

The discussion moved naturally to the economic viability of coal seam gas mining in the Territory.

He waited, hoping someone else would raise what was at the forefront of his mind. He didn’t want to be the one to introduce the issue. It was the elephant in the room; everyone was aware of it, but he wanted to hear it, and see it recorded in the minutes of this meeting. It wasn’t long before the words he waited for were spoken.

‘Yes, the difficulty lies in the fact that the property in question is owned by Panos Sordina.’

The chairman nodded. ‘The members will of course not take that into account when voting, but it must be made very clear that Mr Sordina has declared his pecuniary interest and that he is willing to sell off the affected portion of his property if the approval goes ahead.’

A stifled laugh from one end of the table was quickly turned into a cough. ‘Hah, of course he is,’ someone muttered.

The member for Berry looked over his glasses at the offending member. ‘Order, please. To be fair to Mr Sordina, he has owned this property for five years, and the possibility of mineral wealth in the South Alligator region has only come to light in the last eighteen months.’

Bill’s voice was soft as he entered the discussion. ‘The environmental study is complete and the boundaries of the national park can be adjusted without significant impact on the northern section of the park if necessary. The land in question is not culturally sensitive.’

Several members tried to speak at once. David looked across to Bill and he again dropped his gaze. An uneasy feeling snaked through his stomach when he saw the perspiration on Bill’s brow.

‘Order, please.’

Papers shuffled as the committee prepared to vote. David took a deep breath. He hoped that his prediction of the outcome was right. He had spoken to the members over the previous weeks and they were evenly split. He had had a long phone conversation with Bill Jarragah last week and he knew that together their votes would defeat the motion. Even so, David’s stomach clenched as the vote was called. Bill stared straight ahead, perspiration running down the sides of his cheeks; he looked distinctly unwell.

David gripped his hands in his lap and held his breath. He watched as the three of the four hands he expected rose slowly.

‘So are we done?’ The chairman’s hand was already up, as David had expected.

Disbelief jarred through him as another hand rose. The member for Berry stared down at the table as his hand, too, rose. He was the most conservative member of the committee and had been vocal in his opposition to shale gas exploration for many months.

Five up and five down. It was now up to David to choose between his beliefs or his family. A negative vote would put his wife and children in jeopardy, but he couldn’t, in good conscience, support the proposal. He clenched his hands more tightly as he opened his mouth to confirm his negative vote. If necessary, he would put a round-the-clock guard on the children.

But before he could declare his negative vote, Bill jutted his chin out and put his hand up.

The chairman looked around the room and counted the show of hands. ‘The measure is passed in the affirmative. Six votes to four in favour of the boundary change.’ He nodded. ‘I am pleased, personally and on behalf of my constituents, to see that common sense has prevailed. Hopefully this decision indicates that the exploration application will be looked at favourably next week. It is in the best economic interests of the Territory.’

David’s throat closed with disappointment but he kept his expression bland as the chairman called the meeting to a close. David had voted against it; he would not succumb to threats. Fairweather had got to others in this room – maybe more than one. David looked around, but not one member would meet his eye. Bill Jarragah’s eyes were closed and perspiration ran down his face.

David closed his office door and collapsed at his desk, staring at the picture of Gina and the children next to his computer. Uncertainty rippled through him. Had he made a mistake sending them away? Should he have kept them close where he could look out for them?

The dropped gazes and the outcome of the vote had convinced him that Fairweather’s reach was great. They were solid men of integrity in that committee and more than one of them had obviously been bought. He couldn’t believe that Bill Jarragah had voted for the boundary change; but if Bill had sold out for money, he would be very surprised. His passion for his land and love of country had made Bill a valuable member of the environmental committees in which he’d represented the clans since before David had been in parliament. There must be another reason for his decision. He was counting on Bill to speak strongly against the exploration licence.

Pressing his thumbs onto his eyelids, David tried to ease the band of stress that was beginning to tighten on his temple. The last thing he needed was a stress migraine.

And no Gina at home tonight to massage my neck. David glanced down at his watch before taking a swig of water from the bottle on his desk.

He pressed the speed dial on his mobile and stared out the window as he waited for her to pick up. The square below was empty and leaves whirled around in the strong wind. He knew she’d be waiting for his call.

‘Hi, darling.’ Her voice soothed him even from afar. ‘Sorry, it took me a while. I forgot to get my phone out of my bag before I got into bed. It’s full of rubbish.’

‘For a change,’ he said. He had never known anyone to carry as much in a handbag as Gina did.

‘I need a new one.’