A vital Territory aquifer is drying at an accelerating rate and taking longer to recover from Dry seasons, a new study by Griffith University has found, raising concerns about the impact fracking operations in the Beetaloo Basin will have on the water source and additional extraction.

The cost of Darwin’s long-delayed ship lift has surged to at least $820 million, a parliamentary committee has found, which will see taxpayers cover the costs for Paspaley Pearls Group to operate, as per an agreement signed in 2021.

NT WorkSafe has appointed Grant Hastie as its new executive director, effective August 25, following a national recruitment process.

The Mandorah ferry terminal and associated works will open to the public later this month with a total build cost of $85 million, the Finocchiaro Government has said, which is $39 million more than estimated in 2017, and comes more than six years after the former Labor government declared it a priority project.

EXCLUSIVE: A fracking well drilled by Beetaloo Energy Australia that potentially connected two different aquifers, posing a risk of contamination for both, and which was forbidden under the company’s environmental management plan, was the reason the Department of Lands Planning and Environment recommended former environment minister Kate Worden prosecute the company, a response to questions on notice from Budget Estimates hearings shows.

The Northern Territory recorded growth in business investment and construction activity over last year, according to the latest CommSec State of the States report, with other economic indicators, such as population growth also showing modest improvements.

Tamboran Resource’s long-serving CEO and managing director Joel Riddle has suddenly “stepped down” from his roles, the company said in a surprise announcement on Monday, with the chair of the board appointed interim CEO amid reported financial problems and other challenges facing the company.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government has launched its first NT Investment Summit in Darwin, bringing to town over 100 business leaders, investors, and key stakeholders from numerous countries and industries, but has not disclosed the cost to taxpayers of the summit or details about what is being discussed.

The CLP Government has committed to “fast-tracking” the majority of recommendations from the Approvals Fast Track Taskforce report to cut red tape and boost the economy, including extending food business registrations to three years, exempting “low-risk” electrical works from needing a certificate of compliance and extending responsible service of alcohol certificates from three to five years.