The Finocchiaro CLP Government’s rush to merge the NT’s anti-corruption watchdog into a new ‘super’ Integrity and Ethics Commission with other statutory bodies – following a secretive review with no public consultation – has raised concerns from national integrity experts and crossbench MLAs, who are all questioning the government’s motives for restructuring its integrity systems now.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has been named a finalist for the McKinnon Prize for political leader of the year for her “hardline stance” on crime, “channelling public sentiment into decisive leadership” and for doing what most chief ministers do by taking on the role of Police Minister, as questions remain over who nominated her for the award and when.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government will roll the Office of the ICAC into a new “Integrity and Ethics Commission”, following a secret review into the NT’s integrity bodies that the Chief Minister confusingly says she ordered only a few weeks ago.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government’s proposed ‘tough on crime’ measures that will see pepper spray on the street next week and bus cops armed with guns by early next year will not produce safer communities, a group of unions, non-government organisations, community medical groups, Victims of Crime NT and faith-based bodies say, after penning an open letter to the Chief Minister calling for sanity to be restored.
An inquiry into all executive police appointments made by disgraced former commissioner Michael Murphy is reportedly done, with a draft report and recommendations sitting with those in charge for weeks, the NT Police Association says, but neither the Police Minister or the Acting Police Commissioner will confirm or explain when the findings will be made public.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro fled the NT Police Association annual conference Friday morning after delivering a “tone deaf” speech and facing criticism, refusing to talk to police union delegates and the media, despite her office earlier stating she would make time to answer questions following the conference speeches.
The City of Darwin has agreed to cease fining council candidates and their volunteers $200 for campaigning outside of early polling centres, after independent candidates took the city to court seeking an immediate injunction on the “unfair” restrictions.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government is not ready to roll out its plan to allow the public to purchase pepper spray next month, the union representing the Territory’s police officers has warned, raising unaddressed concerns over the lack of mandatory training for safe usage, vague legal thresholds for its use that will cause police an increased workload to investigate, and the lack of a “real-time database” to ensure criminals are not buying the spray.
Acting Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Greg Shanahan has ordered changes to the way public servants file corruption reports to his office, but has refused to say if the new directions are the result of referrals dropping substantially since he took the helm last December.
Darwin mayoral candidate Sam Weston is standing behind an unproven sexual assault allegation he made against a former RSL committee member, despite the police having found no victim or evidence of wrongdoing and closing the case last year, while the subject of the allegation is out of pocket thousands of dollars in legal fees.
A Facebook page purporting to have revealed independent candidates for Darwin council as “paedophile puppets” controlled by Territory Labor, has been referred to the NT Electoral Commission for investigation after breaching the Local Government Act and spreading misinformation.
Territorians have a right to know how $25 million of taxpayer dollars are being spent at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation every year, an independent MLA says, following a compromised parliamentary hearing that did not fully investigate unadvertised jobs, poor governance practices and an unusual overlap of board and executive roles, but the Finocchiaro CLP Government have refused to explain how it intends to deal with the matter now, while ruling out a proper investigation.
