Chief Minister Michael Gunner cancelled a meeting to discuss federal funding initiatives with newly sworn-in Minister for Northern Australia David Littleproud to defend his government’s approval of the $12 million grandstand grant on a local radio station.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner will not attend this year’s Darwin Cup Carnival, citing his extreme anger following a damning ICAC report that revealed his Cabinet approved $12 million of taxpayer funds for a grandstand that did not have a proper business case.
Federal Labor Member for Solomon Luke Gosling was targeted by the Turf Club board as a key Labor figure to lobby for projects, the ICAC report found, with internal records showing he attended numerous Turf Club events in 2018, while chairman Brett Dixon was discussing potential “new developments” with senior party figures.
The CLP Opposition have called on Chief Minister Michael Gunner to release Cabinet documents relating to the approval of $12 million of taxpayer money for the Darwin Turf Club’s grandstand, following the ICAC’s report into the scandal, and to explain which minister took the unscrutinised submission to Cabinet.
The Territory’s new Independent Commissioner Against Corruption has started in the job today, as questions continue to linger over head public servant Jodie Ryan’s role on the panel that selected him while she is connected to ongoing inquiries identified by the outgoing ICAC.
A former Milingimbi school principal used more than half a million dollars intended for the education of Indigenous children to travel and dine out with friends and family, and also hired family members without permission, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption has found in a new report.
Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon wrote a “draft script” for popular radio presenter Katie Woolf three weeks before he was interviewed by her “that included Mr Dixon’s views and response to negative media stories” regarding the controversial $12 million grandstand project, the ICAC’s report into the scandal has revealed.
Long-serving NT News editor Matt Williams is the mysterious “senior media figure” identified in the ICAC’s grandstand scandal investigation, sources have confirmed, who allegedly used the Territory’s only daily newspaper to provide favourable media coverage for those accused of the alleged misuse of public funds.
EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Michael Gunner convinced Cabinet to approve $12 million of taxpayer money for the Darwin Turf Club by taking the decision “out of certain people’s hands”, a Turf Club board member and friend of Mr Gunner’s told the board just days after the grant was approved, recordings from the meeting reveal.
Another worker on the Friday flight to Darwin from the Tanami mine outbreak site has tested positive for the Delta strain of COVID-19 overnight, but health authorities said they believe he was not infectious on Friday when he entered the community. Chief Minister Michael Gunner said this morning that the man was a “close contact” of the first known case.
Territorians are being warned by authorities that lighting fireworks today is a crime and anyone found celebrating Territory Day by discharging or possessing fireworks will be slapped with a $1570 fine.
Alice Springs will go into a 72-hour lockdown, effective from 1pm today, five days after the NT Government became aware of the COVID-19 outbreak at the Tanami gold mine, and following a mine worker suspected of being infectious spending seven hours at the airport on Friday.
