The trial of pepper spray for use by the general public with minimal restrictions, coupled with the closure of all public bus interchanges, could lead to violent hot-spots in locations that don’t have security, writes Craig Hubbard.
Letter to the editor: Lloyd Creek discussion should not be confidential
Has the Litchfield Council lost the plot and forgotten who it represents, and to be open, transparent, accountable and rural, asks Gerry Wood.
Opinion: The Failed State Part V – An urgent need for reform
An environment conducive to corruption and undermining the rule of law has been created in the Northern Territory, with serious reforms needed to stop it from accelerating further, but our current Chief Minister and government have demonstrated an inability to grapple with such essential tasks needed for the benefit of everyone, writes Dr Don Fuller.
Opinion: The Failed State Part IV – Lack of fairness, equity and consistency in the public service and the police
The favourable treatment given by the government to former ICAC Michael Riches, departmental CEO Andrew Kirkman, and police commissioner Jamie Chalker contrasts starkly with the less powerful public servants like Maria Rust and Zach Rolfe, leading to further evidence of the NT being a failed state, writes Dr Don Fuller.
Opinion: Failing to independently investigate death of Kumanjayi White unjustified
Experienced, highly qualified professional investigators with no connection to the NT Police Force are absolutely essential if justice, the ultimate aim, is ever to be achieved in the death of Kumanjayi White, writes Darwin barrister John Lawrence, adding there is simply no way in 2025 this can be achieved by any branch of the NTPF – the trust required for that to occur no longer exists.
Letter to the editor: How do we measure up on the treatment of our most vulnerable?
To Close the Gap of Indigenous disadvantage governments at all levels cannot continue with the same failing policies, expecting that next year we will get a different result, we need a radical redirection because the parlous state of our finances, and our social fabric demand it, writes Bob Beadman.
Opinion: The Failed State Part III – The politicisation of the public service and police, with the added muzzling of the free press
Ministerial staff sitting on selection panels for public service positions, a department CEO keeping his job after a judge found he inflicted a mental health injury on an employee, and allegations of a police commissioner being influenced by politicians to lay a murder charge against a police officer, have all contributed to the NT’s status as a failed state, Dr Don Fuller writes.
Letter to the editor: ‘It’s about the freedom’: Litchfield Council misunderstands rural people
From the beginning of its existence the Litchfield Council prided itself on not being over regulatory, and not taking on the responsibilities of government, but proposed new bylaws change that writes Gerry Wood.
Opinion: The Failed State Part II – The ethical failures of politicians and senior public servants
Ministers taking jobs in portfolio areas soon after leaving office with no punishment for code of conduct violations, while chief ministers permit ongoing unethical behaviour by the public service and the police executive, all contribute to the NT’s status as a failed state, writes Dr Don Fuller.
Opinion: The Failed State Part I – The NT ruled like a town council and the missing $800 million
The cronyism exposed at the Waterfront Corporation is the latest illustration of the perception of ongoing graft, corruption and nepotism in the public service, which is part of the wider dysfunction in the Territory that has led to a failed state, writes Dr Don Fuller in his first instalment examining the major governance failings that have besieged the Northern Territory since self-government.
Opinion: Bail laws a croc that will cost the community more while failing to keep us safe
Most of the world is trying to reduce the number of people who spend time in prison – not because of some wokesque preference for the rights of criminals over the rights of victims – but because prison increases the likelihood of violent reoffending, writes criminal lawyer Russell Marks.
Se Acabo: The real explanation for the collapse of the NT justice system is politics
The Northern Territory criminal court system is now a broken shambles which, although appearing to function, is actually in the process of collapsing and has become unsustainable, writes John Lawrence, in his first regular column for the NT Independent.