Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has announced the appointment of three acting local court judges, including the lead prosecutor for the upcoming Matt Wright trial, but would not say if the appointments, that also include one of Mr Wright’s previous defence lawyers, would delay the high-profile case, while also refusing to comment on one of the surprise new judges’ connections to the Chief Minister and her husband.
Today’s national news includes Peter Dutton launching federal election campaign with a pledge to serve ‘everyday Australians’, Aussie dollar’s fall vis-à-vis to the US dollar to fuel inflation, the Australian Army receiving new Bushmaster-protected mobility vehicles worth more than a hundred million dollars, and Sydney couple charged for smuggling heroin valued at $5 million.
A man and woman allegedly involved in making child sexual abuse material in the Darwin region are facing an additional 49 charges, with NT Police alleging the pair were “planning further offending” against children before they were arrested in October.
A 36-year-old married father of three young children has been identified as the victim killed in the stolen vehicle crash near Yirrkala on Wednesday, who was working as a pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Arnhem Land.
Long-time NT public servant Greg Shanahan, who conducted a secret review of the ICAC Act for Labor two years ago, has been appointed the new acting anti-corruption commissioner, with Michael Riches remaining on indefinite leave with full pay, while the long-running investigation into his conduct continues with no end in sight.
A major catastrophe was averted in Katherine overnight thanks to the actions of a quick-thinking truck driver whose truck caught on fire while hauling dangerous goods, NT Police said.
The CLP Government has prepared for Christmas by hiring more corrections officers and expanding operations of the Territory’s courts over the holiday period, ahead of what it expects will be a busy time.
More than 60 inmates have been moved from Holtze Prison to the refurbished old Berrimah Prison, and another 50 will be moved at some point in the near future, Corrections Minister Gerard Maley has said, which follows the union representing police last week saying the Darwin police watch house was being used purely for Corrections prisoners.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has refused to condemn the domestic violence crimes of an Alice Springs traditional owner and director of two community groups she met with last week, after it was revealed by The Australian on Tuesday that Benedict Stevens pleaded guilty in June to aggravated assault for striking his partner in the face with a tool during an alcohol-fuelled domestic violence incident.
A government-ordered investigation into senior executive Andrew Kirkman’s inappropriate conduct against a female staffer, in which he was found in court to have verbally abused and threatened her costing taxpayers more than $1 million to defend, has been concluded with no action being taken, the Chief Minister said.
A series of CSIRO reports into the development of a multi-user carbon capture, use and storage facility at the proposed Middle Arm industrial precinct estimates the capital cost could be between $7.3 and $7.9 billion, but warned of ‘major uncertainty’ in understanding what additional costs could arise, while an energy peak body said using CCUS to deal with emissions was a “complete fantasy”.
An indecent act against a woman in Alice Springs that appears could have escalated quickly was not reported by police media for nearly a week, with police today calling for the public’s help to identify a man who exposed himself to the woman and attempted to grab her.
