Chief Minister Michael Gunner ordered the removal of potential COVID-19 carriers from a luxury residential Darwin building half way through their quarantine period because he suddenly felt they should be in a “more traditional hotel situation”, he said on Wednesday.

The decision, which subverts national recommendations for quarantined people to remain at one place, was made after residents of the Halikos Group-built 130 Esplanade building complained.

“Even though we had all those health measures and security measures in place, I thought let’s move them to a traditional hotel,” Mr Gunner said.

“I asked for that, that’s now happened. For me, the priority for placement should always be a traditional hotel.”

Mr Gunner did not say where the quarantined people had been moved.

His office has repeatedly denied the NT Independent’s request for a complete list of the 14 Territory hotels the government selected as forced quarantine sites for interstate travellers arriving from last week.

The 130 Esplanade building is home to some of the most powerful Northern Territory public servants and former politicians, including the NT’s head public servant Jodie Ryan and her husband David Ryan, who is the current chief financial officer for the Department of Chief Minister.

The luxury unit owner’s list also includes the former head of the Department of Infrastructure and Planning David McHugh, former deputy under treasurer Tony Stubbin, former Department of Business CEO Peter Carew, former public employment commissioner Craig Allen and, at one time, former chief minister Adam Giles’ chief of staff, Gary Barnes.

Former CLP politicians Grant Tambling and Denis Burke also own units at the luxury building, as does former CLP political operative Col Fuller.

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Mr Burke, a former registered lobbyist for Halikos Group and current chair of the body corporate for the building, said earlier in the week that housing quarantined people at the building was putting elderly residents’ health at risk.

He also said the body corporate had not been informed by the government or the unit owners before people started filing off a bus last week into the building.

Mr Burke added there was only one “security guard” monitoring the quarantined residents for eight entrances and that the Gunner Government had been “negligent” in allowing the quarantined people in.

“You’ve got poor supervision and there has been non-compliance – I’ve got at least two instances reported directly to me that there’s non-compliance,” he told MIX 104.9 on Monday. “This is a blundering stuff-up by the government.”

Halikos Group subsidiaries own a large number of units in the building. It’s unclear if their units were used for the forced quarantine or how payments would be processed now that the stay has been cut short.

“A lot of those rooms in 130 are rented out hotel-style,” Mr Gunner said. “For me, that wasn’t the best fit (for quarantine).”

Mr Gunner added that he made the decision to move quarantined travellers after becoming aware they were in a “mixed property”.

Halikos Group’s H on Smith hotel was also contracted by the NT Government to force interstate travellers to the NT to quarantine for 14 days. 

The price before the government’s announcement of forced quarantine was $849 for a 14-day stay. Mr Gunner later determined the cost to government and private citizens would be $2500. 

A requested breakdown of how that was calculated was also not provided.

On Monday, Treasurer Nicole Manison said those forced to quarantine at the 130 Esplanade building had been identified as “incredibly low risk” federal government employees.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Natasha Fyles announced yesterday that half a dozen coronavirus-infected patients from Royal Darwin Hospital have been transferred to the former Inpex Howard Springs accommodation village.