Police Minister Nicole Manison rejected claims this morning that the Gunner Government has directed NT Police media to downplay sexual assaults – following a series of stories by the NT Independent exposing a disturbing pattern of suppression of sex crimes – calling the accusation “absolute nonsense, rubbish”.
A sex offender caught outside a little girl’s bedroom with a “rape kit” was arrested by police earlier this month who retrieved video from his phone that showed he had been in the girl’s room on several occasions to sexually assault her – including one night when he hid behind the bedroom door while the child’s father had checked on her – in another deeply disturbing incident that the NT Police have not disclosed to the public.
A toxic workplace specialist was hired by the Gunner Government to investigate ministerial offices on the fifth floor of Parliament in late 2019 – less than six months after a separate report into the management of the Chief Minister’s own office was binned – and while allegations of illicit drug use amongst staffers was known, the NT Independent can reveal.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner and his wife Kristy O’Brien charged taxpayers thousands of dollars for private luxuries including $8 vanilla slices, chai lattes, schooners and special vegan breakfasts during a series of taxpayer-funded trips over a three-month span last year, internal government documents reveal.
The Chief Minister and Police Minister need to explain to Territorians why details of serious sex crimes are being concealed from the public, the Opposition says, accusing the government of political interference following a series of reports on suppressed sexual assaults by the NT Independent.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner must immediately pay back the public money he used for campaign purposes during the 2020 NT election that violated caretaker guidelines and should be investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog for his “unethical” and “dodgy” dealings, the Opposition and an independent MLA say.
EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Michael Gunner charged taxpayers more than $20,000 for charter flights to campaign across the Territory during the 2020 general election, in an apparent breach of caretaker conventions, the NT Independent can reveal. The flights included family, a personal photographer and were approved by Mr Gunner’s brother-in-law.
The man who allegedly sexually assaulted a three-year-old boy who had been playing in his front yard on Thursday will appear in court today, NT Police said. Court records show the 21-year-old man has been charged with one count of sexual intercourse without consent.
A three-year-old boy was sexually assaulted while playing in his front yard by an itinerant on Thursday, in what’s being described as “every parent’s worst nightmare”, but the NT Police have refused to comment or provide information to the public about the heinous incident.
The Country Liberal Party breached the Electoral Act by not fully reporting its political donations during last year’s election campaign and the CFMEU has refused to provide documentation about its involvement on behalf of Labor, a new report by the NT Electoral Commission has found.
ANALYSIS: The Territory Labor Party’s stinging rejection of an order from its leader has delivered the biggest blow to Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s leadership in four-and-a-half years and has cast doubt over his ability to retain support for the top job.
Commercial builders in the NT will have to be registered and engineering audits will be increased, as part of proposed sweeping reforms to the Territory’s building industry in the wake of a debacle that saw more than 200 unit owners affected by “incompetent or negligent” structural engineering.
