NT Independent

Personal duress alarms for health workers amid escalating violence at hospitals

The Finocchiaro CLP Government has responded to calls for safer hospitals by pledging to provide 150 health care staff at Darwin and Palmerston Hospitals with personal duress alarms and $500,000 to fix the air conditioner at RDH, but has not said if it considered supplying pepper spray to the staff as well, amid ongoing violent incidents at the hospitals.

Councils left in the dark on power pricing as services put at risk: LGANT

Alice Springs Town Council says Jacana Energy only contacted it this week to discuss electricity price increases for local government from July, while the Local Government Association NT said some remote councils are considering cutting family, health and youth programs amid the planned price increase, as Darwin Council also ponders cuts to services.

New 14-storey CDU student accommodation moving ahead in Darwin CBD with NAIF loan

A $70 million federal loan will underpin a new 14-storey CDU student accommodation building for 350 students across from the university’s city Danala campus, with land provided by the NT Government, with construction now expected to start two years after the campus opened and seven years since it was first announced.

Sexual harassment, bullying claims increased in public service last year, latest workplace survey shows

The number of NT public servants stating they were bullied or sexually harassed at work has increased significantly since 2023 along with a consistent fear to report, while the number of physical assaults on public servants has nearly doubled in two years, according to the latest NT Government People Matter Survey, which was quietly released by the government last week.

NT firefighters pass ‘overwhelming’ no-confidence vote in leadership as pay dispute drags on

Nearly 99 per cent of Northern Territory firefighters who took part in a survey have no confidence in their leadership, according to the results of the poll released Monday by the union amid stalled enterprise agreement negotiations.

Katherine man convicted of in-flight grope loses appeal

The NT Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by a Katherine man found guilty of groping a woman’s vagina on a red-eye Jetstar flight between Brisbane and Darwin.

Man charged with murder over Milingimbi death

A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder over a death in Milingimbi after fighting in the community last week, NT Police said.

Deaf community urges funding extension for news service

Advocacy group Deaf Connect is campaigning to preserve federal government funding for the only daily news service in Australian Sign Language, which is set to expire at the end of June.

Alleged indecent assault of child in Katherine sparks investigation

NT Police are calling for the public’s assistance in connection to the alleged indecent assault of a 10-year-old girl near Frangipanni Court in Katherine on Sunday afternoon, with a ‘person of interest’ identified who may be outstanding.

Letter to the editor: Ludmilla Creek catchment not being protected

A citizen science event at Ludmilla Primary School has raised concerns that development proposals in the Ludmilla Creek catchment are being assessed in isolation, without considering their combined impact on one of Darwin’s last natural tidal creek systems, writes Planning Action Network volunteer Sonja Pastor.