Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has added more uncertainty and instability in the NT Police, claiming on Monday morning that she only today became aware Acting Police Commissioner Martin Dole was on the same mismanaged hiring panel as Michael Murphy to appoint a senior role, despite being asked about it on Sunday and being given a briefing by the ICAC late last month, adding that she holds “no concerns” about a culture of cronyism in the NT Police.
Her position is in stark contrast to the NT Police Association, which has called for a review or public inquiry into all appointments made by Mr Murphy after an ICAC investigation found he mismanaged a conflict of interest in hiring a mate for an assistant commissioner role, amounting to “negligence and incompetence” and a misuse of public resources.
The union also raised concerns over Mr Dole taking over the top role while questions remain over police executive hiring processes.
Mr Murphy was placed on indefinite leave Saturday night.
Operation Apollo found a separate panel member also gave a reference for now Assistant Commissioner Peter Kennon while sitting on the panel, which is understood to be Mr Dole.
Ms Finocchiaro was on Mix Radio Monday morning, where she claimed she was not aware of Mr Dole’s involvement until this morning and that she put him in the top role for “continuity” reasons.
“I’ve now been made aware that he was on that panel just this morning,” she said, despite being told about it at a press conference on Sunday afternoon. “He certainly is not part of the statement that was made in Operation Apollo. I’ve got full confidence in his ability to do [the job] and we need stability across the force.”
Mr Dole is widely despised by the police rank-and-file for his role in the charging of former constable Zach Rolfe in 2019.
Asked if appointing him was a bad look, given he was on the same mismanaged hiring panel, Ms Finocchiaro said: “People can tear people down at every level for as long as they want to.
“I think in all of my interactions with Mr Dole, he’s been exemplary,” she said. “There has been no wrongdoing asserted.”
Ms Finocchiaro rejected doing an immediate review into Mr Murphy’s hirings over the past 12 months, which includes Mr Dole.
“I think that will all come out in the wash,” she said. “Right now, we’ve got to go through this first process [of terminating Murphy] and then ultimately move forward from there. We need business as usual.”
Asked if she was concerned about systemic issues of hiring mates in the NT Police, Ms Finocchiaro said: “No, I’m not.”
But NT Police Association president Nathan Finn reiterated his calls for a review or full-blown inquiry into Mr Murphy’s appointments to be done now to properly provide stability in the NT Police force moving forward, adding that his members were angry and frustrated by the executive’s handling of appointments and their lack of integrity overall.
“Members are frustrated…and they’re frustrated and angry that they’ve been failed, and their leadership’s been failed for the Northern Territory police force. And we’ve seen this time and time again, our members have been through hell and back with commissioners over the last decade or so,” Mr Finn said on Mix.
“It’s not acceptable to have this sort of behaviour at [the] executive level, and it provides our members with a turn of frustration, who are just trying to get on and do their job. They don’t need this distraction.
“They have a few concerns about other selection processes that have possibly been tainted.
“For some members it [Mr Dole being made the Acting Police Commissioner] won’t provide confidence at all. He was on the panel when this decision was made…[and] our members are asking questions.
“What was his involvement? I don’t know what’s in the ICAC report, but the government has that information, and the government’s fully aware of that investigation, the outline of that investigation, and they’ve got the evidence…”
Mr Finn added a review of other senior appointments under Mr Murphy “definitely” needed to be done.
“There’s information out there that’s suggested that people had the questions to applications, to questions they were going to be asked in an interview. That is not acceptable…
“They [his members] want to see anyone held responsible who has done something untoward in the selection process. We know that this has happened. This is not just new to this commissioner, in previous commissioners we have seen this as well, where there’s been jobs for favoured people. It shouldn’t be that case. It’s should be merit-based.
“[Promotions should not] be determined by your relationship with a commissioned officer…It should be about your ability to do the job you need to do.
“They need to have an investigation into what’s happening, and how widespread this is. If that leads to an inquiry into the police force or a Royal Commission into the police force, so be it, it needs to happen. Our members need that trust within the system to make sure that they’re supported to do the best possible job they can.”
At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mr Dole confirmed he was on the panel to hire Mr Kennon, and that he was listed as a referee, but said he did not provide a reference for any of the people who listed him as a referee.
“The panel interviewed a total of six applicants and there were all known to the panel,” he said. “The panel then made recommendations to the minister and three applicants were appointed by the minister in accordance with the Police Administration Act as a senior executive of the NT Police force.
“I did not provide a personal reference to any applicant in accordance with merit selection training…”
Mr Dole said he too does not believe there is cronyism in the NT Police and said he would not be conducting a review into Mr Murhpy’s appointments.
Asked if he should let someone who is not friends with Mr Murphy decide that, Mr Dole said he did not make “any comment” on a review and that the “ICAC conducted an investigation into several processes and has produced an investigation report that’s sitting with the Chief Minister”.
“I don’t believe there’s a review required,” he said.
Note: This story was updated to include Mr Dole’s comments
Lia Finocchiaro quoted above: “we need business as usual”.
Says it all really.
Lia, I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you but I will: the BAU culture which you, along with others, have fostered and become complicit in is why we are where we are with this train wreck.
The case for a no-confidence motion in the CM on March 18 just got a further boost.
You are sounding as silly as Chris
Thanks Boof, I take it as a compliment. Are you a CLP life member as well as apologist?
There needs to be an investigation into the promotion of all officers involved with the charging of Zach Rolfe. Many of the officers that have evidence at the colonial enquiry received promotions and moved into chalkers inner circle. Time to take a good look at the whole executive.
Moreover, many of them whose testimony was soundly rebutted/trounced under cross examinations have received mysterious promotions. Having been exposed in court as a pack of incompetent liars, attempting to pervert the course of justice by lying under oath, manipulating expert evidence and withholding discovery from the defense, suddenly they receive plum appointments and rapid promotion… If it walks like a pig, smells like a pig… its probably covered in shit.
After a parade of corrupt and incompetent commissioners and executives have collected their pay day, multiple instances of police lying under oath and attempting to per ert the course of justice, surely it is time for a Review or a full blown Royal Inquest into this embarrassment of a police service.
It’s a real problem when the Chief Minister doesn’t know, or apparently understand, what is happening in major Territory institutions under her watch. It leads to a progressively increasing chance of governance disasters, which often taxpayers will be forced to fund.
Was it Dole who famously live streamed his little joke about the collective noun for a group of police officers? Wonder what he would call a group of NT Police Commssioners… A Corruption, a Conspiracy, a Stench…
That was Murray Smallpage.
An example of when going outside the pool unfortunately also yields no better results.
So 2024-25 NTG CLP CM Lia Finnochiaro is either an incompetent lawyer & CM or she is deliberately manipulative & deceptive?
Either way Ms Finnochiaro needs to resign for the future of the CLP Party to drain the swamp. New blood is needed to replace the rich establishment & old Freemasons who will perpetuate cronyism, nepotism & deceptive governance with their weird hand gestures.
I think the best appropriate term is ‘Cabal’ – A secret political clique or faction.
‘A Cabal of Commissioners’ is a reflection of the Government(s) of the day these past 10 or so years.
Carefull where you tread Chris and David.
You may find yourselves banned from Civilization again.
Here is a blast from the past from Tue 15 Mar 2016.
“Northern Territory Treasurer Dave Tollner has lashed out at a senior newspaper political correspondent, calling him a ‘smut monger’ and a ‘peddler of smear’.”
Lia might not be concerned, but there woukd be a lot of Executive Officers in wider Public Sector who should be. Lord help them if they get audited.
Is this not golden opportunity for Lia to smear the previous CM who signed off on the recommended appointment?
It is the delegates responsibility to ensure there are no conflicts of interest, or that they are managed appropriately, before approving the selection. Clearly the previous CM failed in this regard.
Also, who is the independent panel member? That person needs to be scrutinised also for failing to ensure MM and MD’s COI was appropriately managed.
A for the many ECO’s out there who are as guilty as MM for the same behaviour, I suggest a targeted audit by ICAC would claim a few more scalps. Surely ICAC has a database of complaints which could be analysed to identify the frequent flyers.
Just an idea.
@Jane: That’s a false choice Jane, we suggest she’s both incompetent and deliberately manipulative and deceptive. However, it’s looking like she’s also scared to open the can of worms because she knows exactly how deep the rot goes, being NT Minister for Police amongst other Ministries.
This comment makes me think it’s the latter actually: “we need stability across the force”.
If you really let the dogs loose on the whole NT Police from top to bottom then the instability would likely have an effect on crime levels going up and who wants to be the responsible Minister/CM for that right now.
She needs to be brave because her weakness to placate senior officers both in the Police and in Government, see Greg’s appointment in ICAC as a prime example of the public servants running the Ministers, is causing her to look completely out of her depth.
Personally we’d let the dogs loose. Long term gain beats short term pain in this instance.
Anyone, like @A Servant, who looks at the whole NT Government for only a few minutes will know that almost every department exhibits the same sicknesses. It’s almost too big a job to tackle in one term so better to leave it and let it malfunction periodically dept by dept then duck and weave for a week or two before having to clean up the mess again.
@Semi Retired, all depts know already and Greg will never do anything to put his mates in Government at real risk (they might rescind his shiny public service medal, the shame!)
Did anyone really expect Dole to say anything else?
More like Dope.
We fear this whole mess is going to get messier very soon.
*sits back, puts feet up, puts popcorn in the microwave…
In the Northern Territory, we have Australian Federal Police Officers who are based and work in the Northern Territory who are covered by the Fair Work Act (Cth) and their enterprise agreements are approved by and dealt with and are lodged in the Fair Work Commission.
In the Northern Territory, we have Northern Territory Police Officers who are based and work in the Northern Territory who are not covered by the Fair Work Act (Cth) and their Northern Territory Police Force (NTPF) Consent Agreement 2022 is not lodged in the Fair Work Commission but is lodged in the Northern Territory Police Arbitral Tribunal.
Is it not time to ensure that all Police officers in the Northern Territory, be they Australian Federal Police Officers and or Northern Territory Police Officers, are covered by the Fair Work Act (Cth) and that their enterprise agreements are approved by and dealt with and are lodged in the Fair Work Commission?
Is it not time that our Northern Territory Parliament abolishes the Northern Territory Police Arbitral Tribunal so that Northern Territory Police Officers employment matters can be dealt with by the Fair Work Commission?