Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeff McLaughlin was driving a council car when he was allegedly caught under the influence of drugs last week, sources have told the NT Independent, raising questions about his proposed “personal leave” that would see him continue to collect his taxpayer-funded allowance and drive the car.
An NT Police media adviser will face court next week charged with disclosing confidential information and unlawfully accessing data to gain benefit, with police failing to disclose her employment when they announced the charges last month.
A piece of Alice Springs’ heritage will be showcased on limited release Nescafe coffee tins, with scenes from the iconic Henley on Todd Regatta gracing the cans as part of Nestle’s national “Celebrate Community Spirit” campaign across Australia.
NT Police are investigating the cause of a fire at an Alice Springs residence on Sunday afternoon that they suspect was started by a group of people, including an eight-year-old and an 11-year-old.
The NT Police secretly sought authorisation from a federal agency to press charges against the NT Independent that would have seen a raid on its office, computers seized and staff possibly arrested, because this publication reported on a heinous sex crime the police media team suppressed from the public, it can be revealed.
A 14-year-old girl was “assaulted with an edged weapon” in Alice Springs on Sunday night and left in a serious condition, Northern Territory Police said.
Tourism Central Australia has urged the Fyles Government to address the spiralling crime rate in Alice Springs, which they said has reached “crisis” levels and is wiping out the local tourism industry.
NT Gaming Minister Chansey Paech has ordered a nine-month moratorium on new poker machines in Alice Springs following community outrage, with an Independent MLA accusing him of a “complete backflip” after he first claimed he had no control over the granting of the licenses.
UPDATED: A man NT Police charged for alleged drug driving and possession of cannabis plants at his home is a Northern Territory mayor, sources have confirmed to the NT Independent.
The Country Liberal Party has selected a new party executive, choosing a former political adviser as president at its annual conference in Alice Springs over the weekend, with approval by a former chief minister, sources said.
A former police officer suffering PTSD had his comments about the force’s lack of concern for mental health inexplicably deleted from an NT Police Facebook post promoting R U OK? Day – along with the Police Minister’s comments she would investigate ongoing mental health concerns – while the Commissioner said yesterday he was being ‘cyber bullied’ in unrelated social media comments, which he brought up when asked how he was addressing low morale.
St John Ambulance is sending ambulance drivers instead of paramedics to life-threatening emergencies every day, several staff turned whistleblowers have told the NT Independent, while staff fatigue levels reach critical levels, operational and safety related concerns raised by front-line staff are being ignored, and paramedic attrition rates hit the highest levels in the country.
