Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Monday ruled out referring the now $850 million Labor-led ship lift project for a proper investigation, after a parliamentary inquiry late last year found the deal to build the facility for the Paspaley Group lacked transparency, any trace of public accountability and was carried out with questionable public benefit involving multiple unexplained contract variations.
The Northern Territory’s “problematic Super Inspector” position to oversee the recently created Office of the Integrity and Ethics Commissioner, that the CLP Government filled with former ICAC inspector Bruce McClintock, has been flagged by a national organisation as “a good example of how oversight can go wrong” with integrity bodies.
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has reminded her NT counterpart Marie-Clare Boothby that the NT Government has an obligation to maintain proper funding for legal aid for Territorians, amid fears from the Federal Government that increased pressure on NT courts and corrections has been exacerbated by funding cuts, which has produced “heightened risks to fairness and access to justice” that may be in breach of international human rights obligations.
A federal department held concerns about the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s proposed appointment of David Connolly as NT Administrator, newly released internal government documents show, with one brief suggesting Mr Connolly’s vast “meat inspection” experience “may not necessarily reflect the formal training or experience in public administration and understanding” necessary for the vice-regal position, while also raising concerns about the effect his public comments could have on eroding the public’s trust in the role.
A senior NT public servant’s internal email to department heads claiming the US Embassy in Canberra asked the NT Government to come up with “creative ways” for the Territory to celebrate the US July 4 Independence Day holiday has been called into question, after the Embassy refused to confirm it made the unusual request.
A senior NT Government bureaucrat has claimed the US Embassy in Canberra requested Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro “consider creative ways” for the Northern Territory to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday on July 4 this year, such as holding fireworks displays, but instructed all department heads that any celebration must be covered “from within existing resources”, a leaked internal email has revealed.
The Labor Opposition has congratulated the Finocchiaro CLP Government for its picks to lead the new Integrity and Ethics Commissioner office, while integrity experts still hold concerns the process of appointments has eroded public confidence, particularly around the unadvertised role of chief executive that will be filled by former AFP and NT police commissioner Reece Kershaw, with one integrity expert describing the current situation as akin to a sad “satire”.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has inexplicably chosen “canapes over cost-of-living relief” for Territorians in last week’s budget, critics say, after directing an additional $1 million to controversial Administrator David Connolly’s office and a further $2 million it didn’t have last year to Protocol NT – the body that organises official government functions and special invite-only events.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has named two controversial picks to lead the newly established Integrity and Ethics Commissioner agency, with former Ombudsman Peter Shoyer appointed commissioner and former police commissioner Reece Kershaw appointed chief executive of the new anti-corruption body that will replace the ICAC amid unresolved questions about the potential for political interference. Mr Kershaw is close friends with current NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole.
One of CLP backbencher Clinton Howe’s former electorate officers has filed an unfair dismissal application with the Fair Work Commission stating she was fired because she refused to “falsify electorate information” in a database that secretly stores personal information about constituents for the Country Liberal Party and was subjected to bullying and “unreasonable” micromanaging in the office.
An ICAC review into the hiring and promotion practices of an NT Government department that commenced the same month its chief executive was controversially appointed has revealed “several recurring gaps…that present improper conduct risks” with recruitment, including that conflicts of interest were not adequately managed, that applicants’ qualifications were inconsistently verified, and that advertised positions took on average 67 days to fill.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government cut funding to Legal Aid NT by more than $3.2 million this financial year, the director of the organisation has finally revealed, which appears to directly refute repeated claims by Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby that funding increased, while more service cuts are expected.
