Chief Minister Michael Gunner charged taxpayers more than $7,000 for a one-night trip to Nhulunbuy in the lead up to the NT general election that included costs for his wife and newborn baby, newly released government travel records show.
Calls mount for Gunner to explain why voters misled before election
The Gunner Government needs to explain to Territorians why it lied to them in the lead up to the NT general election after providing misleading financial figures in a “horrifying” breach of public trust, a long-time political observer and academic has said.
Opposition and independent MLAs forbidden from communicating with NT public servants
An independent MLA says she has been forbidden from communicating with public servants after being issued a letter from the NT’s head public servant, which she says has escalated the Gunner Government’s ongoing attempt to stifle open communication.
Tribunal finds Alistair Wyvill justified in criticising Justice Southwood’s ‘politically partisan’ Stella Maris decision
Professional misconduct allegations filed against former Labor leader Delia Lawrie’s lawyer Alistair Wyvill have been dismissed, five years after they were made, in a decision that has raised fresh questions over how the Stella Maris Inquiry and subsequent Supreme Court appeal were handled.
Gunner Government’s pre-election COVID-19 financial report ‘misleading’: Auditor General
Financial figures released by Chief Minister Michael Gunner before the election – as well as wild claims that close to 100,000 Territorians would be infected with COVID-19 at a cost of $200 million if it weren’t for him – have been found to be “misleading” by the Auditor General.
Federal money for NT roads diverted to boost public servant numbers, consultants: DIPL
The Gunner Government is taking federal cash intended for private companies to build and upgrade the Territory’s roads and using it to hire more public servants, while at the same time paying more consultants for “specialist advice”, the Estimates Committee was told.
Providing hard stats of reoffending youths too challenging, government tells Budget Estimates
NT Police commissioner Jamie Chalker says police could be arresting some young offenders in Alice Springs “two to three times” a day but can’t say for sure because retrieving stats of arrests is “not straight forward” and would mean taking police off the streets to provide accurate data.
‘You just can’t hope and pray’: Opposition exposes budget issues during Estimates hearings
Chief Minister and Treasurer Michael Gunner told a heated Estimates Committee on Monday his government is pinning its economic hopes on a rebound in GST payments, increased royalties and potential future major projects to replenish its coffers over the coming years, despite little indication that will happen.
Gunner says he will produce secret China agreement, changes story on what it is
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has told Estimates hearings he will table the secret document he signed with an unknown Chinese official while on a state visit to Shenzhen, China that has not been made public, while also appearing to contradict himself over the nature of the agreement.
‘Falls short of a rational response’: Darwin lawyer says Gunner’s ban of NT Independent appears to breach code of conduct
Pressure continues to mount on Chief Minister Michael Gunner to lift his ban on the NT Independent, after a member of the Darwin legal community joined a growing group of journalism and legal experts across the country calling for the ban to be rescinded, while suggesting the government has breached its own code of conduct.
Chief Minister’s Alice Springs youth crime data called out as ‘meaningless spin’ by the Opposition
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has been accused of releasing “meaningless” youth crime data ahead of a visit to Alice Springs this week, which is being called into question by the Opposition after it was reported without scrutiny in an online newspaper.
The NT’s ‘new’ post-COVID economic recovery plan unveiled
The much-hyped Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission’s plan for saving the Northern Territory’s economy post-coronavirus has come down to plans already in place: further developing natural gas reserves and expanding the mining sector, while also simultaneously moving to achieve a “decarbonisation plan” to reach net zero emissions by 2050, with a focus on renewable energy.