A little-known ‘networking’ company connected to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s husband Sam Burke has not made its annual financial reports public since 2021 while its auditor resigned two years ago, the NT Independent can reveal, raising more questions about how much the company received from taxpayers through the Waterfront Corporation to hold a conference this year and the value of ongoing fees paid to it with taxpayer money.
The NT Independent revealed last week that Mr Burke has been a director of Place Leaders Asia Pacific since March 2022, while also the deputy chief executive of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation, which has been paying Place Leaders with public funds annually since early 2020, including an undisclosed amount of cash and potential ‘in-kind support’ to host the company’s conference in Darwin in April, that included free harbour cruises for attendees and a “laksa breakfast” on the lawns of Parliament House, among other benefits that appear to have been paid for by taxpayers.
This is disgusting conduct by all and sundry! Down south in Civilization the media would be circling for blood.
Unfortunately the NT News and that thing on Mix104FM have been clearly bought off!
I am so confused about the NT ABC….are they not a Labor organization? Why are they so quiet?
Their is a point when a politician needs to accept they are seriously damaged goods and will negatively affect their political partys ability to win a election.
Even the clueless Gunner and Pie Luvin Fyles resigned (or where made to resign) when it became clear their transgressions where going to be a serious issue.
Who are the senior rank and file of the CLP nowdays? Are they awake and with it or breathing oxygen in a nursing home?
What are the newly elected CLP MLA’s doing about it? Are they clueless sheep, enjoying their photo ops, being led to a disastrously electoral slaughter in Aug 2028? Where will they work in the NT after a major landslide against them?
As a long time CLP voter , telling you know, not voting CLP again til there act is cleaned up!
Note:During the last 2024 election, Shockingly there where long time CLP voters (and I mean The Originals) that did not vote for particular CLP candidates! The rusted on CLP vote is no longer rusted on nor guaranteed.
2015-25 DWC Management and Board are also skimming money from Toga (260?) apartment body corporate levies, yet do nothing for Wharf One and Two Residents? Where is $31 million annually being funnelled? City of Darwin receipt municipal levies so what dodgy deals are being organised between NTG DWC and City of Darwin (CoD) GOVCORP fraud? Time to rescind the 2006 DWC ACT and return crown land to the public for transparency.
‘DWC chief executive Alastair Shields, who was a guest speaker at the April conference to discuss the “Darwin Waterfront success story”, also refused to disclose how much taxpayers kicked in for the conference, despite promotional material for the event stating that the DWC “proudly supported” the conference. It was also unclear if he was remunerated for his speech.’
~Funny that Alastair Shields From The Public never mentioned any of this in his Public Accounts Committee hearing. He would also know that this kind of information, again around money gifted to either Sam Burke directly or people connected to him, would be relevant to what the Committee should have been looking at.
~Lying by omission?
~The Darwin Waterfront has been very successful……for the bank accounts of Alastair Shields From The Public, the Kirkman Family, Sam Burke (and LiaR Finocchiaro) and numerous others.
~Now we have another name to add to the ever growing collection of mates who seem to be given more and more tax payer dollars:
Jo Smallacombe
3 words “Pigs, Snouts and Troughs”, spring to mind.