The shock departure of Department of Children and Families chief executive Brent Warren comes amid delays in court proceedings due to confusion in the department over controversial new child removal laws, while Minister Robyn Cahill’s office has refused to answer questions or explain why Mr Warren suddenly left the role last week, less than a year after she appointed him.
Labor’s Yiwarr McGrath has defeated independent candidate Andrew Blamey to win the Mulka by-election Saturday night, bringing the party’s total number of MLAs in NT Parliament to six after the 2024 election wipeout saw it reduced to just four bush members, but the new member enters a divided Labor parliamentary caucus.
NT Department of Children and Families chief executive Brent Warren has left the role suddenly, less than a year after being appointed by Minister Robyn Cahill with no explanation provided, which comes amid massive turmoil and controversy in the department.
The NT News’ coverage of gas development in the Beetaloo Sub-basin was the focus of national scrutiny Monday night as Media Watch criticised the newspaper’s reporting as “cheerleading for gas companies and the government” that has repeatedly failed to provide the whole picture, while noting the paper takes in untold amounts of advertising money from industry and the CLP Government. All of it has raised questions over whose interests the newspaper is serving.
The Labor Opposition Leader’s office paid Michael Gunner’s brother-in-law more than an MLA earns to help develop policy for the party shortly before he took an oil and gas lobbyist role earlier this year, the NT Independent can reveal, while the Opposition Leader has refused to explain if proper procurement processes were followed for the secret consultant job paid for by taxpayers.
St John Ambulance NT contributed to the deaths of two elderly Darwin residents due to massive delays in ambulance services arriving when they fell in separate incidents, with both waiting on the floor for more than five hours for medical assistance despite being prioritised, the Coroner has found.
CLP Minister Steve Edgington has publicly said he will not run for One Nation at the next federal election in the Territory when asked on Wednesday, but the NT Independent can reveal he engaged in talks with a senior party figure about leaving the Finocchiaro CLP Government to have a tilt with Pauline Hanson’s party. Mr Edgington’s advances are likely to destabilise leadership and relationships within Cabinet two years into the CLP’s term, a party source said.
Voluntary assisted dying legislation passed Parliament last night, three decades after it was first legalised, but amendments to remove restrictive clauses including the 12-month prognosis timeframe and the doctor gag clause were blocked by the CLP majority.
The Country Liberal Party has not nominated a candidate for the upcoming Mulka by-election which it dismissed Thursday as a “disruption” that will now be a contest between Labor’s candidate Yiwarr McGrath and surprise independent candidate Andrew Blamey.
UPDATED: The planning and development of data centres across the Northern Territory should be immediately halted until Territorians “know exactly what they are signing up for”, an independent MLA says, while the Labor Opposition moved a motion in Parliament Wednesday calling for an independent inquiry into the controversial projects.
Federal Labor Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has stood down from his role in the Albanese Government as special envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia citing “ongoing media attention” that has become a distraction to the business of government, which follows a breach of bail charge laid against him related to ongoing allegations he assaulted the NT Administrator.
The Territory’s MLAs wrestled with their personal beliefs and their duty to their constituents with plenty of tears shed while debating the proposed Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, a bill that is expected to ultimately see the NT regain its voluntary assisted dying rights this week after losing them 30 years ago.
