Darwin’s property and juvenile crime police unit, Strike Force Trident, is being moved from the Casuarina Police Station to be absorbed by the Crime and Intelligence Command at the Peter McCauley Centre, the police union has said, a move the man who established the unit said could see members siphoned off to other parts of the agency due to political pressures, leading to a potential increase in property crime.
Half of the controversial $320 million NT Health Acacia patient record IT system is being shelved pending new funding approvals, bureaucrats have told a parliamentary committee, despite their own previous warnings that not fully implementing it risks a “catastrophic IT systems failure” that could disrupt health services.
A woman securing her child into her vehicle at a Gregory Terrace carpark in Alice Springs just after noon on Monday was allegedly indecently assaulted by a male youth, with police now calling for the public’s help to identify the male.
UPDATED: Kat McNamara, the first NT Greens member elected to NT Parliament, has resigned “effective immediately”, citing health reasons, while a federal senator says McNamara was insulted and “intimidated” by government while in Parliament.
The NT Government’s decision to approve a 30-year water licence to Fortune Agribusiness for its Singleton Station project will now be considered by the High Court, following a challenge by native title holders from the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation.
EDITORIAL: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s defence of choosing David Connolly as Administrator this week has done nothing to calm rising tensions in the wider community and instead raised questions about what type of agenda she’s driving that was not fully disclosed to Territorians ahead of the last NT election.
The CLP Government’s rushed amendments to the Housing Act that will continue to see individual remote housing residents not consulted on rent increases has been panned by Aboriginal land councils and other bodies as an “assault on the fundamental rights of Territorians”, while the government claims it will consult with the groups before future rental rises.
St John Ambulance NT has announced Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley’s chief of staff Abigail Trewin as the new chief executive of the troubled organisation, with the politician paying tribute to her in a press release announcing her appointment but failing to disclose she was working for him.
Police Commissioner Martin Dole has appointed Commander James J. O’Brien as acting deputy commissioner, leap-frogging him over four assistant commissioners and three acting assistant commissioners, in a move labelled “very odd” and a “massive slap in the face to all the staff ranked above him” by a former officer, but described as a “common occurrence” by the top cop.
The Opposition and independent MLAs spectacularly walked out of Parliament Thursday in protest after a series of fiery exchanges about the appointment of Administrator David Connolly, which started when respected Yolngu leader and MLA for Mulka Yingiya Guyula was gagged from attempting to ask the Chief Minister about the appointment, which he said was for his constituents who want to know why a man with a history of making racially vilifying comments about Aboriginal people was given the highly respected role.
UPDATED: A 47-year-old worker at Newmont’s Tanami gold mine in remote Central Australia has died, the company has confirmed, while investigations are underway.
The public’s confidence in the role of NT Administrator has been badly shaken by the appointment of David Connolly, a senior Darwin barrister has said, while the NT Bar Association also raised concerns about his suitability for the “crucial constitutional position”, as the Chief Minister claimed Wednesday that while she was not aware of Mr Connolly’s offensive posts before recommending him, she would do it again because he is the “best possible person” in the Territory for the role.
