Career
He was the Country Liberal Party member for Brennan in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 1990 to 1994. Ortmann defeated sitting CLP Modern Language Association Colonel Firmin both for preselection and when Firmin ran as an Independent. He earned the sobriquet "Mad Max" following an incident where he wrapped a microphone cord around the neck of Jeremy Thompson, an American Broadcasting Company reporter, after a series of probing questions.
Ortmann lost preselection to Denis Burke in 1994 and was defeated as an independent.
