Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has ordered Parliament be recalled next week so she can introduce legislation aimed at strengthening the Bail Act following the stabbing death of a Nightcliff supermarket owner, which comes seven months after she was warned her government’s so-called ‘Declan’s Law’ would not keep the community safe.
Tourism Minister and Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has rejected calls for a public inquiry into the possible misuse of public resources at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation involving the Chief Minister’s husband and other senior public servants, stating she “is the Minister” and has received a secret internal “briefing” that exonerated everyone of any wrongdoing. However, the briefing was completed before revelations the Chief Minister’s husband benefitted from questionable hiring practices.
The Labor Opposition has acknowledged some of the potential misconduct exposed by an NT Independent investigation into the Darwin Waterfront Corporation occurred while Labor was in government, but has joined growing calls for an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of the potential malfeasance and misuse of public resources at the taxpayer-funded corporation.
Long-serving government executive Andrew Kirkman suddenly departed his role in the public service Thursday afternoon after 26 years, amid the growing scandal at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation that has led to calls for an independent public inquiry.
Chief Minister Lia Finnochiaro fled a press conference Thursday morning, refusing to comment or answer questions about her husband’s involvement in the growing Darwin Waterfront Corporation scandal, that saw him collect more than $400,000 in “higher duties allowance” on top of his large salary for unadvertised jobs that were created by his mates, as well as a massive $300,000 contract that did not appear to go through proper recruitment processes.
EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s husband Sam Burke was given a made-up, part-time government job while general manager of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation, internal government documents show, that boosted his already substantial salary by $60,000 a year through a ‘higher duties allowance’ that continued for years after he left the department role, the NT Independent can reveal.
Tourism Minister Marie-Clare Boothby has refused to comment on an internal “briefing” she received last week into allegations of mismanaged conflicts of interest and possible misuse of public resources at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation, after previously claiming she would “make some decisions” about the matter.
Tourism Minister Marie-Clare Boothby has refused to comment on whether she recently approved a new contract for Darwin Waterfront Corporation chief executive Alastair Shields, including when she approved it and how much the new contract is costing taxpayers for his part-time, two-day-a-week gig that last cost $116,000 a year, while the Minister is still waiting for a “briefing” from government officials about concerns of misconduct at the corporation.
The NT’s Director of Public Prosecutions has referred an 82-page investigation report into the conduct of five senior NT Police officers who lied about racist awards the TRG produced back to the ICAC, raising a perceived conflict of interest for the acting-ICAC, who was involved in high-level political meetings relating to the Yuendumu shooting in 2019 while a senior public servant.
Department of Children and Families chief executive Emma White suddenly announced on Friday she is leaving the role, while her partner who led the department’s office of domestic, family and sexual violence reduction also announced she is leaving, but the Minister has refused to comment on the high-profile departures.
EXCLUSIVE: Darwin Waterfront Corporation chief executive Alastair Shields advocated for his mate Andrew Kirkman’s sister Jodie Ryan to be given more than $44,000 of taxpayer money to continue sitting on the waterfront board after she resigned as the NT’s head public servant, a new secret memo has revealed, raising further questions about undisclosed conflicts of interest at the DWC and the possible misuse of public resources.
The CLP Finocchiaro Government will unveil its surprise plans to review and change the NT Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act this week in Parliament, but the government is already facing criticism from the Central Land Council for failing to properly consult with traditional owners over the sudden changes, which they say threatens their rights and interests.
