Police Commissioner Michael Murphy will not be referred for a criminal investigation into his proven improper conduct, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said at her first press conference since moving to terminate his contract, but again refused to explain why she did not take action as soon as she became aware of Mr Murphy’s improper conduct.

Ms Finocchiaro also said in the Sunday afternoon press conference that her CLP parliamentary wing colleagues were “strong and absolutely united” in the face of public criticism that she covered-up Mr Murphy’s actions before being pressured by the media to take action.

The Chief Minister issued a statement late Saturday night indicating that Mr Murphy had been “given the opportunity to resign” and that he was placed on leave while the process of termination occurred.

This was done nine days after she was first informed by acting-ICAC Greg Shanahan that Mr Murphy was the subject of Operation Apollo, which found a “senior public officer” had mismanaged a conflict of interest during a recruitment process for a top role which amounted to “negligence and incompetence”.

Ms Finocchiaro only took action after Mr Murphy outed himself publicly on Thursday afternoon as the subject of the ICAC investigation. She previously attempted to downplay the misconduct as a “learning tool” for other public servants. She was asked why the delayed action and why Territorians should have trust in her to take action when she becomes aware of misconduct at the highest levels of the public service.

“I think Territorians are very concerned about continuity for our police,” she said.

“I met with the Solicitor-General [on Monday] and he confirmed the advice provided to me by the ICAC Commissioner, which was that I could not say anything – I’ve now taken the steps required as soon as this [his identity] has become public…and now we’re beginning a process.”

She was asked again why she did not initiate action on Mr Murphy, without publicly naming him, when she was first made aware of his misconduct and continued to suggest the ICAC informed her that she could not publicly name him, which is inconsistent with the ICAC Act, given that she is the Minister responsible for the ICAC.

She refused to publicly release the Solicitor-General’s advice again.

Asked if she, as Police Minister, would be referring Mr Murphy for a criminal investigation into his improper conduct, Ms Finocchairo said that was up to the ICAC and that its public statement “made no mention of a DPP referral”.

The NT Independent asked Ms Finocchiaro if, after now moving on Mr Murphy for mismanaging a conflict of interest to hire a friend, she would turn her attention to issues of nepotism raised in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation last month and take action on those agencies.

She first said that Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby was the person to address those matters, but was reminded that Ms Boothby had not responded to questions last month.

“I’ve clearly been dealing with other matters and there’s plenty across government that we have to make sure is being addressed and looked at,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro, who called for a public inquiry into the toxic culture of the NT Police seven times in opposition, but rejected the idea upon being elected Chief Minister, said that an inquiry now was “a possibility”, but that she is more focused on properly removing Mr Murphy from his job at this time.

The NT Police force has lurched from one crisis to another for years, with record low morale and record resignations, and has now seen three of its last four commissioners resigning or being terminated in disgrace.

“It’s a possibility,” she said of an inquiry. “I’m not going to rule anything out, but what I am very focused on is this matter before us right now because it has to be done properly. It has to be done right so that we can move forward.”

Ms Finocchiaro added that getting rid of Mr Murphy was “very different” than Labor’s botched sacking of former police commissioner Jamie Chalker in 2023.

“What we’ve got here is an ICAC putting out a public statement and then the person coming forward…” she said.

“It’s very different and we’ve been very open about what that process is, so that the community understands.”

It appeared Mr Murphy rejected the “opportunity” to resign.

“Resignation is entirely a matter for him,” the Chief Minister said on Sunday. “I now have taken those important steps to begin the process of termination.”

Ms Finocchiaro said Mr Murphy was entitled to six months pay after having his contract terminated, even if the termination was the result of misconduct on his behalf.

She added that she was not currently considering who the next police commissioner would be or how that process would be handled.

Ms Finocchiaro also pledged “action” in the Office of the ICAC some time “this year” relating to the long-standing leave of commissioner Michael Riches and pledged to introduce new laws to alter the ICAC Act, after changes in 2023 prevented the naming of anyone found engaging in misconduct that did not meet the threshold of “corruption”, which were introduced by Mr Shanahan’s Labor-ordered review of the Act.