The Finocchiaro CLP Government cut funding to Legal Aid NT by more than $3.2 million this financial year, the director of the organisation has finally revealed, which appears to directly refute repeated claims by Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby that funding increased, while more service cuts are expected.
The Chan Ward by-election for the City of Darwin Council has been set for Saturday, May 30, following the resignation of councillor Ed Smelt, who was elected to Parliament at the Nightcliff by-election in March. The cost of holding the by-election has not been disclosed.
The number of new home builds in the Territory plummeted last year to near-record lows, a new report has found, with the NT delivering 69 per cent fewer homes than required with only 449 homes delivered last year.
Treasurer Bill Yan delivered his second budget Tuesday morning that contains no “lollies or sweets”, with the Finocchiaro CLP Government overseeing a record net debt that will now top $11.35 billion this year and grow to $12.56 billion in 2026-27 – less than previously estimated due to better than expected revenue streams and less spending on infrastructure projects – while Mr Yan said the government is “living within our means” despite no substantive plans to reduce the debt.
Three Department of Children and Families staffers have been stood down following a report in The Australian Tuesday night that revealed five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby had been the subject of six child protection reports since mid-March and was living in a “dangerous environment” with no action having been taken by the department.
The latest health budget has been labelled “disappointing” by the Australian Medical Association NT, which warned headline funding increases mask cuts to primary care, remote care, mental health and disease prevention, adding the Finocchiaro CLP Government needs to recognise the health system is in crisis.
Darwin-based Shorebarge has been put into voluntary administration after a creditor filed a winding-up application in the Supreme Court of Victoria, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents, while its sister company Shorelands announced it has ceased trading.
NT Health is urging Greater Darwin residents to take precautionary measures following the detection of the rare but potentially life-threatening Murray Valley encephalitis virus in local mosquitoes.
Darwin will host the inaugural Gaslit Festival, a three-day music and community event organised by the Environment Centre NT in collaboration with the Australian Conservation Foundation, 350 Australia and Frack Free NT.
NT Police have charged 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis with the murder of five-year-old Kumantjayi Little Baby following her abduction that led to a massive five-day search effort by hundreds in Alice Springs ending when her body was discovered Thursday morning.
Community leaders are calling for calm in Alice Springs after a night of rioting outside the hospital where alleged child killer Jefferson Lewis was taken after his arrest, which saw an angry crowd throwing rocks and lighting a police car on fire, with Lewis later flown to Darwin to restore calm.
EXCLUSIVE: The crucial ‘pipeline’ of NT Government infrastructure works that keep businesses operating in the Northern Territory has slowed to a trickle, industry and government sources have confirmed, with the slowdown leading to uncertainty and fear of impending “mass layoffs” while construction and civil works companies currently consider their options in an unprecedented situation.
