The NT Police has closed its investigation into allegations Darwin Mayor Peter Styles was involved in the production and distribution of fraudulent how-to-vote cards at last August’s local government election, with no charges laid against Mr Styles or any of his political associates.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has returned home from Canberra with no new committed federal cash for flood recovery efforts, pledging instead to dip into the Territory’s over-stretched coffers for a $100 million Flood Recovery Fund that will be overseen by Minister Jo Hersey – the same Minister who drew the ire of the Federal Government by spreading false “speculation” on social media Monday that the NT Government would be billed for ADF members helping clean up Katherine.
The ongoing emergency response to flooding events across the Territory has led to “system-wide pressures” on the NT Health system, the government says, leading to Code Yellow declarations issued Tuesday for hospitals in Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs, with calls for the public to avoid the hospitals outside of real emergencies.
Two men from the Borroloola area are facing drug charges following a drug bust in the remote community that saw 11 kilos of cannabis and more than half a million dollars in cash seized by police from a 68-year-old man.
Lands and Planning Minister Josh Burgoyne donned a cowboy hat Monday morning to announce the Finocchiaro CLP Government is gifting a two-hectare parcel of land to the NT Livestock Exporters Association to expand the Berrimah Export Yards, but the value of the free land and the cost of planned infrastructure works was not disclosed.
UPDATED: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro is currently in Canberra to plead with the Federal Government for more money to help with flood recovery efforts across the Territory, while her Education Minister spread “speculation” on social media Monday morning that the NT Government will have to pay for 50 ADF personnel from RAAF Base Tindal to assist with cleaning up the Katherine area – which was later confirmed as false.
EDITORIAL: The Tanzil Rahman affair is turning into one of the more bizarre political scandals in recent NT political memory, made all the more absurd by Rahman’s refusal to provide any substantive comment for weeks concerning allegations he bullied female parliamentary staffers, letting the Chief Minister do the talking, whose handling of the matter has once again raised questions about her judgement, leadership and overall credibility.
Alice Springs corrections officers’ plan to walk off the job next Friday over stalled pay negotiations with the government will force prisons into full lockdown, with the Corrections Department raising concerns about community safety.
Northern Territory Police say an officer who shared a photo of a half-naked distressed Aboriginal woman with colleagues in a group chat will not face a criminal investigation, partly because he had received an internal punishment of 12 months’ good behaviour, while the agency has refused to say whether the woman was asked if she wanted the matter investigated.
The boil water order for the Greater Darwin region has been lifted, with NT Health confirming test results show the water is free from “any harmful bacteria”, but a boil water alert will remain for Katherine and Jilkminggan.
Speaker Robyn Lambley has taken CLP backbencher Tanzil Rahman to task in an extraordinary public scolding in Parliament, telling him that threatening defamation action over allegations he bullied two female parliamentary staffers is a direct attempt “to silence people who have every right to speak”, the latest blow in the growing scandal the Chief Minister has tried to ignore.
UPDATED: Three hours after stating it would take up to five days to get the second pump at the Darwin River Dam pump station restored, Power and Water announced it has managed to get the second pump connected to a generator, with water usage reductions no longer needed, while the boil water alert remains in place.
