The NT’s two major political parties will be sweating on Monday night when three generations of the Territory’s independent MLAs meet for a public panel discussion about what independents can achieve in Parliament and what voters fed up with current politicians following their parties’ interests instead of the interests of the people can do to bring about change.
Mining and Energy Minister Gerard Maley did not publicly disclose that his sister-in-law works for the company he and his government colleagues helped arrange a special land deal for that could see a massive data centre in the Darwin rural area built, the ABC reported Tuesday, while the Chief Minister has remained silent over the failure to publicly disclose.
The NT News’ coverage of gas development in the Beetaloo Sub-basin was the focus of national scrutiny Monday night as Media Watch criticised the newspaper’s reporting as “cheerleading for gas companies and the government” that has repeatedly failed to provide the whole picture, while noting the paper takes in untold amounts of advertising money from industry and the CLP Government. All of it has raised questions over whose interests the newspaper is serving.
The Labor Opposition Leader’s office paid Michael Gunner’s brother-in-law more than an MLA earns to help develop policy for the party shortly before he took an oil and gas lobbyist role earlier this year, the NT Independent can reveal, while the Opposition Leader has refused to explain if proper procurement processes were followed for the secret consultant job paid for by taxpayers.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation NT boss Heidi Crisp has been elected unopposed as the Unions NT president.
NT Police are investigating multiple armed disturbances in Ngukurr over the weekend that saw a 14-year-old boy airlifted out of the community Saturday afternoon after being speared in the back, police said.
St John Ambulance NT contributed to the deaths of two elderly Darwin residents due to massive delays in ambulance services arriving when they fell in separate incidents, with both waiting on the floor for more than five hours for medical assistance despite being prioritised, the Coroner has found.
CLP Minister Steve Edgington has publicly said he will not run for One Nation at the next federal election in the Territory when asked on Wednesday, but the NT Independent can reveal he engaged in talks with a senior party figure about leaving the Finocchiaro CLP Government to have a tilt with Pauline Hanson’s party. Mr Edgington’s advances are likely to destabilise leadership and relationships within Cabinet two years into the CLP’s term, a party source said.
A man was struck and killed by a white Toyota Hilux while crossing Berrimah Road around 9:30pm Wednesday night, NT Police said, as the investigation into the crash and the man’s identity continues, which occurred just before a separate three-vehicle crash at Coolalinga that trapped a man inside his vehicle.
Former NT Police officer Clint Sims has been appointed one of two deputy police commissioners under a six-month “trial” of the dual-role model that was previously used for years in the executive, with Acting Deputy Commissioner Travis Wurst staying on despite recently withdrawing his application for the permanent job for “personal reasons”, which comes amid ongoing turmoil in senior police leadership.
A new $24 million, 32-bed multipurpose ward at Royal Darwin Hospital will open this week following long construction delays and severe capacity pressures affecting the hospital that has seen six emergency code yellows this year alone, raising concerns from health staff of an impending “health disaster”.
The suicide death of Acacia IT system contractor Shaun Joyce was emblematic of staff experiences within the “toxic, fragile and insular” workplace culture that was “cultivated by senior management” and harmful to staff, the Public Accounts Committee report has found, while his sister says project leaders have not honestly reflected on what they did and failed to do to prevent his death.
