The Finocchiaro CLP Government has refused to explain how disgraced former NT Government senior executive Andrew Kirkman obtained a government-marked vehicle, which he was seen driving and which was parked outside his house last week, more than seven months after announcing his departure from the public service.

The Australian Federal Police have now charged Jessica Buckley for her alleged role in the fraud involving $71 million worth of Department of Defence contracts, which comes nearly a week after her husband and a woman she started another company with were charged.

Two companies linked to Michael Buckley and his co-accused have had their government contractor accreditation pulled, which will prevent both businesses from receiving government works and may affect subcontractors, as Mr Buckley faces federal corruption charges relating to the alleged rorting of Department of Defence building contracts valued at $71 million.

M+J Builders co-director Jessica Buckley’s claims that she is an Indigenous woman from the Bundaberg region in Queensland have recently been called into question, the NT Independent understands, which comes as the NT Indigenous Business Network suspended the company’s membership on Tuesday, but which it said was due only to the federal corruption charges against her husband and co-director Michael Buckley.

SunCable has reached a 70-year, multi-million dollar Indigenous Land Use Agreement with native title holders and the Northern Land Council for the construction of its proposed multi-gigawatt solar facility and battery storage facility at Powell Creek station, outside of Elliott.

A Darwin businessman and vice-president of Master Builders NT has been identified as one of three people facing charges in a federal corruption investigation involving the alleged rorting of Department of Defence contracts valued at up to $71 million, with business records revealing connections to a Commonwealth employee and his wife, who are also believed to be facing charges.

Two Territorians suffered serious burns at work in separate incidents last month while refuelling petrol-powered pressure cleaners, prompting a safety alert from the workplace safety watchdog.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government has expanded on a previous Labor government memorandum of understanding with Dutch company Vopak to “accelerate” construction of a carbon storage facility at Middle Arm that would see liquified carbon dioxide shipped into Darwin from local and overseas companies, but the project, if it proceeds, is still not expected until some time next decade.

SunCable has officially submitted an application for environmental approval to develop a second solar and battery precinct at Muckaty Station, which the company said is aimed at meeting increasing energy demands from data centres in the region, which will be in addition to its proposed solar farm near Elliot.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says her government has a duty to “act responsibly with taxpayers money” and “can’t continue to throw good money after bad” while referencing a major Darwin project that she said was “fantastic” in theory, but had massively blown its budget under the previous government and “can’t come at any cost” – but she was not talking about the Darwin Ship Lift project.