Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon has issued another statement to members Monday evening, claiming that he is the victim of a “witch hunt” and is now compelled to tell “the real story”, while also claiming to have filed a Supreme Court action to have the ICAC’s “corrupt conduct” findings against him quashed.
The Northern Territory’s economy has ranked last in the nation for the eleventh consecutive quarter in the CommSec State of the States report, causing Chief Minister Michael Gunner to label it a “garbage report” despite some recent positive signs.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has been dodging media interviews on local radio stations despite feeling no pressure from his caucus colleagues, his deputy says, over his handling of the $12 million Darwin Turf Club grandstand grant.
EXCLUSIVE: The Gunner Government appears to have gifted more than $3 million to the NT’s peak horse racing body in its first budget – on top of an estimated $75 million five-year funding agreement – following a pre-election donation from companies owned by Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon, 2017 budget figures show.
The new Independent Commissioner Against Corruption has issued a public statement to say he will respect the rights of journalists to protect their sources despite no such protection existing in the current ICAC Act.
Nearly half of 239 young offenders arrested in the NT in the first nine months of the last financial year had committed crimes while on bail and most of those were bailed again, while only one adult has been arrested under the Gunner Government’s new “ringleader” legislation, new figures show.
An Australian cocaine plant with cheap and available seeds, that is said to be legal to grow in the Territory, and that can be used as a hedge or a bonsai plant, could grab the attention of plant enthusiasts from the Fifth Floor, to the corporate world, to Mitchell St goers, or those who just want some privacy from their neighbours.
Territorians looking to switch to electric vehicles could have their car registration and stamp duty fees reduced, as part of the NT Government’s newly released five-year Electric Vehicle Strategy and Implementation Plan, but details such as costings have not been released.
The Gunner Government is spending more than $4,000 a month to maintain the Cavenagh Street shade structure, with another $51,000 set to be spent on new netting to help the vines provide shade.
Racing Minister Natasha Fyles appears to have been aware of a $100,000 donation to the NT Labor Party made by Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon’s companies in the lead up to the 2016 NT general election, but says it had nothing to do with the undisclosed five-year funding agreement the government gave the racing industry.
EXCLUSIVE: Thoroughbred Racing NT chairman Brett Dixon and deputy chair Syd Stirling charged taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to attend the peak racing body’s board meetings – which are arranged to coincide with different racing events across the NT – including costs for accommodation, hospitality and flights, the NT Independent can reveal.
Executive public servant Shaun Drabsch – who was found by the ICAC to have engaged in “deceptive” conduct involving the $12 million grandstand grant – will not be sacked by Chief Minister Michael Gunner because that conduct is two years old “when he first took up the role”, the Chief Minister says.
