The Opposition continued to probe the Gunner Government over the Constable Zach Rolfe murder charge in Parliament, reiterating their calls for an independent public inquiry in the wake of the Police Commissioner’s claims that he was “as shocked as anyone” about the charges being laid – which seemingly contradicts his previous public statement.
The Gunner Government is looking for a consultant to undertake a social impact study on the potential benefits of a Northern Territory AFL team, including how it could enhance the resilience and long-term financial viability of the Territory, while considering the “impact on the level of democratisation in the NT, and the gendered division of production-orientated labour, and the impact on fauna connectivity”.
A senior adviser to the Chief Minister allegedly told an Alice Springs businessman to “fuck off” twice after he had raised concerns about crime issues during a government visit to the town last week, independent MLA Robyn Lambley said in Parliament.
The ongoing war of words between the Opposition, the union representing police, the Chief Minister and the Police Commissioner over the Constable Zach Rolfe murder charge continued Wednesday with the commissioner dismissing accusations of his involvement in the decision to charge as “a lie”.
The Gunner Government will continue the unelected chief health officer’s extraordinary powers for the next two years without having to prove there is a public health emergency, as part of new legislation introduced in Parliament on Wednesday.
Independent member for Araluen Robyn Lambley was banished from Parliament for 24 hours Tuesday afternoon during a heated debate over her motion to strike an independent inquiry into the ongoing crime crisis in Central Australia.
The Gunner Government has quietly accepted the findings of a report that recommends building two off-stream dams with half the capacity of Sydney Habour along the Adelaide River, coupled with recommissioning Manton Dam, as the best way to supply Darwin with water long term, which could cost an estimated $1.45 billion.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has again denied any involvement in the decision to charge Constable Zach Rolfe with murder in the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, telling Parliament that any attack on him about the situation is “an attack on the police”.
The man an NT Police officer shot two weeks ago in Palmerston is 19-year-old Peter Skeen, a former Don Dale inmate who unsuccessfully sued the government last year, alleging he had been assaulted by corrections officers at the notorious youth prison in late 2016.
An independent MLA’s motion to establish a non-partisan parliamentary committee to investigate solutions for the crime crisis currently gripping the Territory, that was to focus first on crime in Central Australia, has been defeated by the Gunner Government.
The Gunner Government will use Parliament this week to spruik its “Territory Economic Reconstruction Bill” while the Opposition has pledged to hold the Chief Minister accountable for his plan to enshrine the unelected CHO with extraordinary powers for the next two years and over allegations of political interference in the decision to charge Constable Zach Rolfe with murder.
The Commonwealth and NT Governments have announced $43 million in funding for mental health and suicide prevention services in the NT that they say will cover the gaps on existing services, which the NT Lived Experience Network has welcomed, while calling for community engagement in the development of NT mental health service delivery plan.
