The Northern Territory will finally get a lobbyist register, regardless of who wins Saturday’s election, with both major parties committing to establishing a register, which appears inspired by former chief minister Paul Henderson’s secret dealings with major gas players and his lobbying of the Labor government.
The former operator of the Darwin city burger joint Good Thanks has been fined $21,000 in the Federal Circuit Court for underpaying a young chef and showing no remorse for it, the Fair Work Ombudsman said.
Darwin City Council has released the schedule for the annual pre-cyclone roadside clean-up where residents are encouraged to prepare for the Wet season by putting out their furniture, white goods, mattresses, and more, while dates for Palmerston have also been released.
Territory Labor is facing public backlash for a late election mass text message campaign in which certain voters were targeted with unsolicited anti-CLP messages, with political insiders calling the tactic a sign Labor is in trouble and fearing for its political future days out from the election.
The former head of the Pastoral Land Board says growing commercial cotton on pastoral lease land without a special permit does not fall within the definition of “pastoral purposes” under the law, while the Lawler Government’s defence of the action removes the specific wording contained under the Act, which states anything grown on the land must be “essential to” and “inseparable from” the business of cattle grazing.
Today’s national news includes Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill slamming the Opposition for its “fear-based scare campaign” on Palestinian refugees receiving visas, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Price saying that the upcoming NT election will be a very close fight, Australian solar project being cancelled by Origin due to unfavourable conditions, and Australia-Indonesia defence pact being finalized.
Sun Cable’s resurrected Australia-Asia PowerLink project, which aims to generate solar power from the Barkly region for use in Darwin and Singapore, has been approved by federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
EXCLUSIVE: A senior NT Police detective who was the subject of an interstate investigation for allegedly perverting the course of justice in the Zach Rolfe murder investigation has been suspended over unrelated allegations he impersonated a female officer in an online dating app, where he allegedly exchanged sexually explicit photos with an unknown male who later attempted to meet the female officer in person.
The Federal Government has confirmed that the NT will not see cuts to international student numbers next year, when it implements caps on students arriving in Australia, and that it will support “growth” for the Territory.
The NT Police executive have sacked a 52-year-old recruit constable for allegedly making “racist remarks”, while a number of senior officers accused of holding annual racist awards and lying to the Coroner about them, remain in their roles with no action being taken.
The NT Police have struck a blow to the Mongrel Mob in the NT after arresting and charging six members for suspected drug trafficking, as part of a “national week of action” against outlaw motorcycle gangs, with police alleging the Mongrels were distributing illicit substances in remote NT communities.
EXCLUSIVE: A corruption investigation into Deputy Chief Minister Chansey Paech’s previous shares in a liquor wholesale company has been blocked by the Labor Government, which refused to release portions of Cabinet records that would show if Mr Paech declared a conflict of interest during Cabinet discussions about the NT Government’s role in federal grog bans in remote communities being lifted, the NT Independent can reveal.
