The Gunner Government will continue the unelected chief health officer’s extraordinary powers for the next two years without having to prove there is a public health emergency, as part of new legislation introduced in Parliament on Wednesday.
Police hunt prisoner who escaped from Alice Springs watchhouse
NT Police are searching for a 23-year-old man who escaped custody on Tuesday afternoon while handcuffed and being escorted between the Alice Springs Local Court and the police watchhouse.
‘You’re not just attacking me, you’re attacking police’: Gunner rejects accusations of Rolfe interference in Parliament
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has again denied any involvement in the decision to charge Constable Zach Rolfe with murder in the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, telling Parliament that any attack on him about the situation is “an attack on the police”.
‘F**k all the cops to the max’: Indigenous man shot by police in Palmerston was former Don Dale detainee
The man an NT Police officer shot two weeks ago in Palmerston is 19-year-old Peter Skeen, a former Don Dale inmate who unsuccessfully sued the government last year, alleging he had been assaulted by corrections officers at the notorious youth prison in late 2016.
Government knows best: Labor rejects calls for non-partisan crime crisis committee
An independent MLA’s motion to establish a non-partisan parliamentary committee to investigate solutions for the crime crisis currently gripping the Territory, that was to focus first on crime in Central Australia, has been defeated by the Gunner Government.
‘May impact life and safety’: Major safety concerns with TIO Stadium revealed ahead of Grand Finals
TIO Stadium’s unresolved safety issues “may impact life and safety”, according to an unredacted engineer’s report that the Department of Infrastructure commissioned last year and tried to hide from the public, which the NT Independent has obtained.
Coronial inquiry not required to publicly report illegal conduct in Zach Rolfe matter
Any issues of illegal conduct around the charging of Constable Zach Rolfe found through the upcoming coronial inquest into the death of Kumnajayi Walker would be sent to the Police Commissioner and the Director of Public Prosecutions – the very positions alleged to have been compromised by “political interference” – according to the Coroners Act.
ICAC considering investigation into decision to charge Zach Rolfe with murder
The Territory’s anti-corruption watchdog is considering whether to launch a probe into the circumstances around Constable Zach Rolfe’s arrest and murder charge and is calling for anyone with information to contact his office.
‘A straight shooter’: Gunner backs Police Commissioner Chalker amid calls for his resignation
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has lashed out at the police union while defending Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker in a radio interview, labeling anyone who thinks they interfered in the Zach Rolfe investigation “conspiracy nuts”.
Chief Minister and his Cabinet should pay back $12m grandstand money, not Turf Club: Opposition
Taxpayers should be reimbursed the $12 million they were bilked for the controversial Darwin Turf Club grandstand by the Chief Minister, the Opposition says, and not the club, that has claimed paying back the money would “cripple the racing industry”.
‘I am proud to be Commissioner’: Chalker issues written statement, refuses to stand down amid allegations
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has refused to stand down, issuing an extraordinary written public statement amid growing calls for his resignation, stating that “we will continue to work on relationships with all Territorians” and defending the decision to charge Zach Rolfe with murder.
Police union accuses senior politicians of ‘political interference’ over Zach Rolfe murder charge
UPDATED: NT Police Association president Paul McCue said “political interference was alive” when Constable Zach Rolfe was charged for murder in 2019, implicating senior NT Labor politicians for influencing the decision to lay charges.