Proposed changes to the NT ICAC Act that would prevent the anti-corruption commissioner from naming politicians and public servants found to have engaged in misconduct in certain circumstances is “inappropriate” for an independent investigative body, a leading anti-corruption expert has said.
The NT’s Power and Water Corporation has asked the federal energy regulator to approve an eight per cent annual increase on utility tariffs every year until 2028-29, it was revealed at Budget Estimates hearings Thursday morning.
Darwin Mayor Kon Vatskalis appeared to believe his wife running the Confucius Institute would be politically damaging for him, threatening legal action against a private citizen for raising the issue with council in 2020, a private email from the Mayor obtained by the NT Independent shows.
The anti-corruption commissioner says his office is not functioning at full capacity with key roles remaining unfilled and again blamed budget cuts, while also admitting he does not read Cabinet documents submitted to his office without seeking the Chief Minister’s approval – which has never occurred.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles refused to answer questions about the secret taxpayer-funded payout to former police commissioner Jamie Chalker, including if her letter to Mr Chalker, in which she made factual mistakes, resulted in a larger payout than if the sacking followed proper processes.
The NT Police have confirmed they are investigating Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Newell over allegations he perverted the course of justice in his handling of the criminal murder investigation into Zach Rolfe.
The Alice Springs business owner who exposed the full extent of the town’s crime crisis on a national stage through social media has announced he’ll be stepping away from the Action for Alice Facebook page for an indefinite period, following revelations the NT Police Minister took legal action against him over a post.
A senior NT Police detective has been accused of “criminal conduct”, including withholding and manipulating evidence, while playing a key role in the Zach Rolfe murder charge investigation, a formal complaint filed with the acting Police Commissioner alleges.
EXCLUSIVE: The raid on Halikos Group’s Darwin office was part of an extensive Australian Taxation Office investigation into allegations of tax fraud, high-level sources familiar with the investigation have told the NT Independent.
Police Minister Kate Worden hired a lawyer to threaten to sue Action for Alice Facebook page administrator Darren Clark over comments he published about his first meeting with her, the NT Independent understands, which Ms Worden told Estimates this morning she paid for herself.
Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler lost her temper during Estimates on Wednesday after the Opposition asked if absent DIPL chief executive Andrew Kirkman had resigned from the role after his no-show at the public hearing.
Amid a stalled ICAC investigation into former chief minister Michael Gunner’s alleged travel rorts during the 2020 election, a former Labor president and senior adviser to three chief ministers has called on the Fyles Government to work with the Opposition and independent MLAs to end the misuse of public money for political purposes.
