Alice Springs Town Council has released its draft 2026/27 Municipal Plan and a new four-year Strategic Plan, proposing a 4.7 per cent average rate increase alongside a $22.6 million capital works program which includes $8.9 million on Todd Street Mall upgrades and for the new library.
An ICAC review into the hiring and promotion practices of an NT Government department that commenced the same month its chief executive was controversially appointed has revealed “several recurring gaps…that present improper conduct risks” with recruitment, including that conflicts of interest were not adequately managed, that applicants’ qualifications were inconsistently verified, and that advertised positions took on average 67 days to fill.
A television cameraman says he was doused in the face with capsicum spray by a police officer without warning while covering last week’s riot outside Alice Springs Hospital, where officers also threatened to arrest members of the media, but Police Commissioner Martin Dole has flip-flopped on his stance that it should not have happened, now saying the attack on the cameraman was “appropriate in the circumstances”.
A 15-year-old male armed with a Japanese sword was arrested and charged after he allegedly threatened to kill a woman and her child on an Alice Springs street Sunday evening, NT Police said.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government cut funding to Legal Aid NT by more than $3.2 million this financial year, the director of the organisation has finally revealed, which appears to directly refute repeated claims by Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby that funding increased, while more service cuts are expected.
The Chan Ward by-election for the City of Darwin Council has been set for Saturday, May 30, following the resignation of councillor Ed Smelt, who was elected to Parliament at the Nightcliff by-election in March. The cost of holding the by-election has not been disclosed.
The number of new home builds in the Territory plummeted last year to near-record lows, a new report has found, with the NT delivering 69 per cent fewer homes than required with only 449 homes delivered last year.
Treasurer Bill Yan delivered his second budget Tuesday morning that contains no “lollies or sweets”, with the Finocchiaro CLP Government overseeing a record net debt that will now top $11.35 billion this year and grow to $12.56 billion in 2026-27 – less than previously estimated due to better than expected revenue streams and less spending on infrastructure projects – while Mr Yan said the government is “living within our means” despite no substantive plans to reduce the debt.
Three Department of Children and Families staffers have been stood down following a report in The Australian Tuesday night that revealed five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby had been the subject of six child protection reports since mid-March and was living in a “dangerous environment” with no action having been taken by the department.
The latest health budget has been labelled “disappointing” by the Australian Medical Association NT, which warned headline funding increases mask cuts to primary care, remote care, mental health and disease prevention, adding the Finocchiaro CLP Government needs to recognise the health system is in crisis.
Darwin-based Shorebarge has been put into voluntary administration after a creditor filed a winding-up application in the Supreme Court of Victoria, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents, while its sister company Shorelands announced it has ceased trading.
NT Health is urging Greater Darwin residents to take precautionary measures following the detection of the rare but potentially life-threatening Murray Valley encephalitis virus in local mosquitoes.
