Darwin Harbour rivals Ningaloo Reef in marine biodiversity, according to a new scientific report commissioned by the NT Environment Centre, which warns the harbour is at risk of permanent damage from the planned Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub following the Finocchiaro Government’s announcement it will use the Territory Coordinator Act to override environmental protection laws for industrial developments adjoining the water.
The Health Minister appeared to confirm for the first time Wednesday that he is dealing directly with St John Ambulance NT to renew the Northern Territory’s ambulance contract which was due to end in January, while the ambulance provider says it is currently in crisis due to a lack of paramedics and ambulances.
A former “distinguished” senior traffic officer has been heavily fined but escaped conviction after instructing his son, who recorded a positive breath test, to drive away from a crash scene, enabling him to evade a drug test despite suspicions he was under the influence of drugs.
A police officer who was not criminally investigated for sharing a photo of a half-naked, distressed Aboriginal woman with colleagues in a social media chat group was later recommended for a National Police Service Medal by former commissioner Michael Murphy for his “ethical and diligent service”.
Former assistant police commissioner Sachin Sharma has alleged he was demoted by former police commissioner Michael Murphy partly because he told the truth to the coroner in a domestic violence inquiry about the status of his job, which has been denied by the defence in newly released court documents that current Police Commissioner Martin Dole attempted to keep from the public.
Northern Territory firefighters are being exposed to serious risks because of inadequate training and operational direction, poor equipment, and the lack of a dedicated training facility, the union says, but the NT Fire and Rescue Service maintains it deals with hazards in accordance with nationally recognised incident management principles, risk assessments, and work health and safety frameworks.
EXCLUSIVE: NT Police Assistant Commissioner Janelle Tonkin sat on two hiring panels that promoted at least two senior police officers with whom she had allegedly been involved in separate sexual relationships but did not declare any conflicts of interest, sources with knowledge of the situation have told the NT Independent, with the matter mysteriously removed from the Justice Alan Blow report into senior police appointments publicly released last October.
A Federal Court judge has ordered Katherine Town Council to reinstate its former chief executive officer Ingrid Stonhill and allow her to continue on worker’s compensation leave until the conclusion of two unlawful discrimination complaints currently being investigated by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Northern Territory Police say an officer who shared a photo of a half-naked distressed Aboriginal woman with colleagues in a group chat will not face a criminal investigation, partly because he had received an internal punishment of 12 months’ good behaviour, while the agency has refused to say whether the woman was asked if she wanted the matter investigated.
The Local Government Minister and the Katherine Town Council will not say why an investigation was launched into the council last year, but the NT Independent understands it probed elected members’ understanding of their roles and the now former chief executive’s performance.
EXCLUSIVE: Another Charles Darwin University program has been called into question amid the recently disclosed TAFE accreditation failure, with the Bachelor of Humanitarian Aid and Development course the subject of an external review following multiple student complaints into delayed fieldwork placements, over-enrolled classes and serious staffing issues, including allegations responsible instructors were not properly qualified.
Outgoing Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor Scott Bowman will remain in his position until the end of April on ‘gardening leave’ the university has confirmed, which will see him paid in the vicinity of $125,000 over that time, but the university would not say what type of payout he may receive after signing a five year contract extension in late November that was worth as much as $3.5 million.
