Damien Ryan

My wife, Joanne and I have three daughters, and now a granddaughter, who all live in the Territory. I am passionate about exploring and advocating for opportunities for our future generations of Territorians. I was born and educated in Alice Springs before attending secondary school in Adelaide, as many of my generation did at the time. I then returned to Alice where I purchased the Alice Springs

Camera Shop and expanded it to include four retail outlets and two wholesale distributorships. These businesses relied on me delivering quality customer service and the responsibility of keeping them viable, while providing for a young family, mean I understand the importance of a strong economy in supporting local businesses and jobs. I also understand how essential the local tourism industry is to delivering economic growth to the Territory from my time leasing Mount Ebenezer and Dunmarra roadhouses. This was during an exciting period in the development of Central Australia when Yulara was established and the Stuart Highway to Adelaide was sealed. My commitment to my local community saw me become active on the board of the Finke Desert Race and the Alice Springs Masters Games Advisory, and I served as Mayor of Alice Springs between 2008 and 2021. Over my 13 years in local government, I visited many remote communities and townships from Docker River to Borroloola, Gapuwiyak to Wadeye and this provided me with a valuable insight into remote community life. Further, my time as Chair of the NT Local Government Association, as a member of the NT Grants Commission, as Co-Deputy Chair of the Outback Highway Development Council and as a member of the NT Chamber of Commerce has given me first-hand knowledge of the issues important to Territorians.