The NT Office of the ICAC has ejected the NT Independent from a national anti-corruption conference held at the Darwin Convention Centre, after the editor explained he wanted to ask some questions of the delegates, which resulted in a 12-month trespass notice being issued by NT Police.
The Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC) is a biennial conference of Australia’s leading corruption bodies, academics and investigators, with this year’s panel delegates including NT ICAC Inspector Bruce McClintock and acting NT ICAC Naomi Loudon – who is hosting the event after Michael Riches was suspended earlier this year amid allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” toward female staff in his office.
NT Independent editor Christopher Walsh was removed by security from Mr McClintock’s panel discussion on the importance of Inspectors before it started on Tuesday morning.
The NT Office of the ICAC’s director of engagement, Stephanie Hawkins, told Walsh the event was for “select media” only, later claiming no media was allowed to attend.
“We’re being selective with the media,” Ms Hawkins said while demanding Walsh leave the convention centre.
“We’re not doing lots of commentary with many media outlets, or any to be honest.”
Asked why media were banned from attending an anti-corruption conference – in part paid for by NT taxpayers – Ms Hawkins said: “This is a closed event for delegates only.”
Walsh then suggested he would stay out of the individual seminars and simply wait for people to speak to after the events, but Ms Hawkins grew annoyed.
“No, I’m not okay with that,” she said. “I’m saying our delegates are here to come and attend a conference, they’re not here to be interviewed by media.”
When told that individuals could make that decision for themselves, Ms Hawkins then suggested without grounds that the NT Independent would not identify itself when interviewing delegates, which was rebuked by Walsh.
“You came and sat down in a private event, you can’t do that,” she said.
It was then explained that conferences for years at the convention centre have been attended by media who attend specific seminars and later conduct interviews with attendees.
After suggesting the NT Independent had not registered to attend, Ms Hawkins later agreed that there was no place for media to register to attend on the conference website.
The Office of the ICAC has not responded to the NT Independent’s questions for weeks, including questions sent to Ms Hawkins last week about the cost of the conference, if anybody had pulled out due to the ongoing scandal and instability in the office, if acting commissioner Ms Loudon would use the conference to publicly declare her mysterious conflict of interest with the Labor Government and if taxpayers had paid for the attendance of a British aristocrat and a professor from the same school in England that Mr Riches is currently completing a Masters degree through.
Ms Hawkins denied there was an ongoing ban on the NT Independent on Tuesday morning after refusing to respond to straightforward questions for weeks.
“We’re not hiding anything,” she said.
Police later arrived and issued Walsh with a trespass notice not to attend the convention centre for 12 months.
Ms Hawkins was scheduled to be an expert commentator on a panel exploring “Integrity in the Northern Territory” at the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Maybe Im a bit fuzzy on the law, but how can you be excluded from a entire premesis for a year when one fraction of it is being hired by a group for a few days?
Police have the power to exclude anyone from Crown land, or land occupied by the Territory, the Commonwealth or a statutory corporation, on their own initiative and without authorisation from the person in charge of the public place. The Act doesn’t clearly state that Police need to have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has trespassed or is likely to trespass.
The system works exactly as it was designed.
Not so…. The Trespass Notice was served unlawfully… refer to case law on the matter – Leigh Cahill v M [2010] NTMC 011 Also look at his guide – https://www.gotocourt.com.au/criminal-law/nt/trespass-offences/
Chris Walsh was not trespassing, therefore no such notice could have been served lawfully. Secondly, The national anti-corruption conference was only the occupier for the time being, so any direction to leave or notice not to trespass is only valid during the occupation of the national anti-corruption conference.
To constitute a trespass for a notice to be served, a person must enter or attempt to enter after a direction to leave. That would constitute a trespass to facilitate a lawful service of a notice to be served. Alternately, an offence needs to be committed or likely to be committed in the first instance to allow a notice to be served in the first instance, for example, a shop lifter.
Wow more corruption 🤔 where does it stop🤔 another open and transparent government department !
Grubs. The sooner the Labor rabble are voted out there will be a chance to clean up this corrupt commission.
The People of the NT sent a delegate to attend and advise us on proceedings of the conference. His name? Chris Walsh.
For shame ICAC. You are meant to represent the people and yet deny the people of having a (or any) representative
How can they get away with this
Too much corruption in the NT now and no one will come clean.
This whole issue is a bloody disgrace. “We’re not hiding anything,” she said.
Plenty to hide, just wont admit it !!!
They must have changed the trespass act to give the police powers over and above the owners and operators of premises. Based on this notice any police officer could randomly make an arse of themself.
The session on exploring integrity in the NT should not take long.
There really is only one ethical choice in the upcoming NT election: VOTE 1 – The Cavenagh St Shade Structure. The only open and transparent option for voters in the Territory.
The ICAC should be shown something transparent, the front door. Self serving grubs the lot of them.
You can’t make this stuff up! I haven’t made a complaint to icac before but I’m going to look into it now.
It’s official Darwin is a Gulag run by NTG Stasi Marxists burying their ubiquitous corruption, bullying & sabotage.
This is an absolute outrage. Even if they had some vague reason to ban Chris Walsh from one event they have in fact banned him from covering any event at the Convention Center for the next 12 months. Is this why NT labor changed the Trespass Act to ban media from events. ICAC are not the lawful owners of the Convention Center and have no right to ban or trespass anyone of the property. This is a abuse of power by ICAC and must be addressed.
Correct. Spot on!
Feel free to leave a comment for the The Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC) organisers on https://www.apsacc.com.au/contact
The NT Police Commissioner needs to stand down if this is what yge Labor government are making him do. Time to go Michael
Many suspected the police commissioner lacked separation of powers. Now we know
I never had any doubt
Welcome, Chris Walsh, to the wonderful world of whistle blower retaliation, NT Government style.
This is similar to the kind of ‘special treatment’ NT Government whistle blower Ferg Ferguson has been dealing with since 2008 after his school principal threatened to kill him and burn down his house. It knocked croc stories off the front page of the NT News at that time.
All you need now for your Gold Membership Retaliation Card is a hatchet job article from NT News ‘journalist’ Jason Walls.
Yeah I wonder what that award winning Journalist will be asked to write by that respected and well known NT News Editor, whats-her-face?
Welcome to the Gulag, N.T Labor style. This mob of 🤡 would make North Korea blush. What a load of 💩.