EXCLUSIVE: Acting anti-corruption commissioner Naomi Loudon will not confirm the nature of her conflict of interest with the ICAC’s investigation into Territory Labor’s misuse of public funds at the last election despite her friendship with Labor staffers now revealed, raising questions about whether a second report into fifth floor staffers’ conduct will ever see the light of day, while alleged compromising photos of Ms Loudon were circulated internally by office staff last year.
The photos depicted Ms Loudon in an allegedly intoxicated state taken at a venue in Darwin, confirmed by multiple sources, who told the NT Independent they had been shared at the office by staff last year and that Ms Loudon had reportedly made disparaging comments about commissioner Michael Riches while intoxicated at the public venues as well.
Ms Loudon was announced as the acting commissioner late last month, shortly after the NT Independent first revealed that Mr Riches’s ex-wife had made domestic violence allegations that he did not fully disclose.
The Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption is responsible for investigating corruption and other misconduct in the Northern Territory public service, including politicians, judges and the police.
Ms Loudon told Budget Estimates hearings last week that she disclosed a conflict relating to the Office of the ICAC’s investigation into Labor’s 2020 election rorts and had no involvement in the investigation that was released publicly late last month after three years.
She claimed she could not publicly disclose that conflict because it was an “operational matter”.
The NT Independent can reveal that Ms Loudon may have a personal conflict of interest involving her close friendship with at least one Labor staffer who worked on the fifth floor directly under – and had grown close to – Ryan Neve – Michael Gunner’s brother-in-law and former deputy chief of staff – who had booked the questionable flights for the former chief minister during the caretaker period and was expected to be named along with other staffers in the ICAC’s second report.
Mr Riches had pledged the second report would be delivered to Chief Minister Eva Lawler by June 30, involving fifth floor staffers’ misuse of public resources in the lead up to the 2020 election.
This masthead understands that report has not been delivered to Ms Lawler to date. It remains unclear how it will be finalised and delivered given that Mr Riches is on “extended sick leave” following the domestic violence allegations being made public – and Ms Loudon’s perceived conflict of interest.
Territorians could go to the polls in August unaware of what misconduct Labor staffers involved themselves in, in the lead-up to the 2020 election, including at least one staffer currently working for Ms Lawler.
Ms Loudon would not comment on whether her friendship with former Labor staffer Arabella Ward was her declared conflict of interest, or why she would tell the Estimates committee that the conflict was an “operational matter”.
She also would not say if the report would be finalised and if so, who would finalise it.
The photos of Ms Loudon intoxicated were allegedly passed around by staff after being taken last year while she was employed at the OICAC, where two sources with knowledge of the pictures said Ms Loudon had also made disparaging comments about Mr Riches while at the bar.
She would not comment on whether the photos were disclosed to ICAC Inspector Bruce McClintock or what would occur if someone outside of the office obtained the photos.
Ms Lawler said she was not aware of Ms Loudon’s conflict of interest and made no comment when asked about the photos.
“I am not aware of the nature of the Acting ICAC’s conflict of interest,” Ms Lawler said on Monday. “The ICAC is independent, I am not aware when the Operation Jupiter report will be given to me.
“The timing of when ICAC reports are handed to myself or government are matters for the ICAC.”
Ms Loudon (centre) with then-fifth floor Labor staffer Arabella Ward (right) in 2021.
Numerous photos on Instagram from 2020 to 2022 show Ms Loudon attending various functions, a wedding, and different parties, including the Darwin Cup Carnival, alongside then-fifth floor staffer Arabella Ward and other staffers, including Natasha Fyles’s former chief of staff Gabby Mappas.
Ms Ward worked closely with Mr Neve while she was on the fifth floor for two years from October 2020 and her partner, a public servant, also worked directly for Mr Neve.
Ms Loudon joined the Office of the ICAC in October 2021 as general counsel, around the time the investigation into Labor’s misuse of taxpayer money was commencing. She previously worked as a prosecutor for the NT DPP for eight years. In October 2021, Ms Ward was working as a policy adviser for Mr Gunner in the Office of the Chief Minister.
Mr Neve was moved out of the Office of the Chief Minister in 2022 following the NT Independent’s investigative reports into Labor’s 2020 election campaign rorts that revealed Mr Neve approved taxpayer money to fly Mr Gunner to remote communities in marginal electorates on remote polling days.
He currently works as “lead director” at consulting firm Deloitte’s Darwin office.
Despite the evidence showing Mr Gunner and the party used taxpayer funds for political activities, Mr Riches said in his investigation report tabled in Parliament last month that he could not conclude whether Mr Gunner engaged in misconduct, claiming the rules at the time were too ambiguous.
He pledged however to deliver the second report focused solely on staffers’ misconduct to Ms Lawler by June 30. Documents obtained under FOI previously showed Mr Neve ran Labor’s 2020 re-election campaign while drawing his taxpayer-funded salary against protocol and communicated to the NT Electoral Commissioner as deputy chief of staff to the chief minister during the election period.
Ms Loudon is scheduled to give a key note address to the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference to be held in Darwin next month on the topic of “Integrity in the Northern Territory”.
She refused to answer the NT Independent’s questions for this story.
Where there is smoke, there is a fire and the Labor fire stinks of rotten fish.
Can never be Independent anything in the NT no matter which side is in Government. It was set up to pay lip service only, not to function correctly.
ICAC Incompetents Club Authorising Corruption
To top it off Riches wants to resume his role after being cleared by someone with the same lack of skill in making a determination. Their job is not to act as lawyers following the letter of criminal law but to root out any appearance of corruption and refer it to professional investigators.
This appointment is just another cluster f**k. We need integrity without compromise and that can not happen unless an interstate, older judge or legal professional is appointed to this position with no ties to any political institution here. including the ‘Public Service’ which is the most incompetent machine of society that I have ever witnessed.
How blatant does an abuse of office need to be for ICAC to make a determination?
Over the last 25 years, I have seen the total demise of a City and Territory that I loved through the total declining competence and integrity of these mostly young, arrogant narcissistic ignorant, and certainly not wise Politicians and Public Service Heads that feather their nests and seem to have trouble realising what Democracy is.
The majority of this time has been under a totally incompetent Labor government from the time Claire got elected without any policies or understanding of how Government works and mostly due to ‘Johnny come latelies’ who came because the CLP made the NT a powerhouse with huge opportunities and advancements. We DOMINATED
Just look at the statistics of the downslide of the NT since then and although the CLP seems a joke compared to the strength of the NT during the first 20 years of self-government, I just want to see wisdom not narcissism return to NT politics. Certainly not young questionable loud-mouths who lack the wisdom of their elders.
Seems we have introduced the same problem as we forced on our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
The answer can only be to listen to and elect the wise, not the fancy. Unfortunately, they are a huge minority.
“Integrity in the Northern Territory”. What integrity??? It all went out the door years ago with the public service and politicians setting the example and unfortunately has followed in some business. The NT is in a very sad state of affairs and has been going that way for a number of years.