The Territory Labor Government has failed to effectively implement federal Closing the Gap measures aimed at addressing Aboriginal disadvantage, and cannot explain how decisions are made, what the costs are, if targets are being met, or how many Aboriginal organisations have been awarded taxpayer cash to provide outcomes for Indigenous Territorians, a damning Auditor General’s audit has revealed.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding a toddler allegedly being kept in a cage at a Territory work site has been launched, NT WorkSafe has confirmed, after being made aware of the allegation by NT Police.
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy has promoted Martin Dole to Deputy Commissioner after 27 years as an officer in the force, including as one of the officers who carried out the controversial arrest of Zach Rolfe for murder four days after the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker in 2019.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler disclosed the location of a Darwin region domestic violence shelter as part of a political photo-op that she publicly distributed in political material, an MLA has alleged, suggesting it could put victims’ lives at risk and calling for the government to pay for increased security at the facility.
A new show called The Party will be held in the Spiegeltent at Darwin Festival this year, the organisers have said.
The Lawler Government will introduce legislation to legalise youth curfews across the Northern Territory, after refusing to admit last month that the “emergency situation” ordered in Alice Springs following riots in the town may have been unlawful, which an independent MLA said was only being done now to “fix their latest cock up”.
The CLP Opposition has outlined its election platform during its Budget reply speech in Parliament Wednesday morning, billing it as a “roadmap to rebuild the Territory”, which will include more cash for first home buyers to get more new homes built.
The Federal Government has refused to say whether it will commit any funds toward the roughly $1 billion cost of a new Darwin city football stadium and other grounds to support a new Territory AFL team, as it has committed to Tasmania, while former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said if there was to be a Northern Territory team, it should be “a long way down the track”.
Territorians will benefit from a cost-of-living relief package announced in the Federal Government’s 2024 Budget that includes tax cuts, energy rebates, and rent assistance.
The Lawler Government has announced a big-spending budget three months out from the general election that puts the Territory on course to achieve a net debt of $11 billion by next year.
The Lawler Labor Government’s 2024 Budget is proof that Labor is bereft of any “new ideas” to address the Territory’s problems, CLP Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says, while the Chief Minister threw it back at Ms Finocchiaro, demanding to know where she’s been hiding for the last month.
The Lawler Government’s 2024 Budget has failed to provide appropriate funding for community services that could help make the community safer, experts say, including for mental health services, youth programs, drug and alcohol support and failed to acknowledge the extent of domestic violence across the Territory.
