Today’s national news includes Victoria losing power affecting hundreds of thousands, Australia telling Israel to ‘listen to friends’, Greens blocking Labor’s housing scheme, the Philippine President giving a speech to Australia’s Parliament, and New South Wales issuing a measles outbreak alert.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler has laid out her Labor Government’s priorities in a “year ahead speech”, six months out from the NT election, with a stated focus of getting remote Territorians working, building the Middle Arm industrial precinct and ordering a review of the Youth Justice Act, while also attempting to reduce cost of living pressures.
Secure NT has warned of flash flooding in Darwin on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Bureau of Meteorology predicts a moderate chance of a cyclone developing in the Gulf of Carpentaria later this week, with that rain system to move over a section of the Stuart Highway which was the major cause of food supply disruptions in late January.
Today’s national news includes the Albanese government continuing its focus on middle Australia, government funding new toy libraries for ADHD patients, $399 million being earmarked for Ghost Bat development, and Australians spending $7 billion annually on lotteries amid the cost of living crisis.
The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency has denied accusations of mismanagement and says it is ready to resume criminal law services for youth clients – which it suspended in November due to an exodus of staff – amid a deadline by the Federal Government to show why its funding should not be redirected to other legal assistance organisations.
The Country Liberal Party has a long track record of failing to publicly disclose how much money it collects from donors while avoiding prosecution, with a 2021 independent audit recommending that the party be “pursued” for deliberately breaking disclosure laws, as excuses from the party’s president and treasurer mount over the latest breach.
The Lawler Government has said it will implement “effort limits” for this year’s commercial barramundi season rather than impose catch quotas, but the fishing guides’ peak body said the policy allowed the commercial gillnet fishing industry to operate at higher-than-average levels in important recreational fishing areas and relied on an honesty system.
Reality television star Matt Wright has been charged by NT WorkSafe for allegedly interfering with a helicopter’s internal meters and falsifying flight records, in connection to the helicopter crash that killed Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson in February 2022.
Mining company Elmore, that operates the Peko magnetite project near Tennant Creek, has gone into administration after recently reporting it needed $5 million to sustain its operations.
The High Court has ruled in favour of native title holders, ordering mining giant Glencore to halt the expansion of port facilities on the Gulf of Carpentaria about 700 km southeast of Darwin.
Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation’s finances are being examined by order of the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, after the statutory body brought in an independent accounting firm to forensically audit the books.
The Country Liberal Party broke electoral laws by failing to publicly report how much it raised in financial gifts over the last six months of the year and who gave it the money, which could see the party fined $176,000 for keeping its finances secret.
