UPDATED: NT Greens Member for Nightcliff Kat McNamara was referred on urgency to Parliament’s disciplinary body last night by the CLP Government for hosting a “casual information session” in her electorate office, that the CLP allege was a misuse of her taxpayer-funded office and part of a plot to recruit new Greens members.
While multiple unresolved integrity scandals hang over her head, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro introduced legislation to Parliament on Thursday to establish a new Ethics and Integrity Commission, which she said will “streamline integrity oversight”, but failed to seek any public input on the changes and chose not to refer the proposed bill to the Parliament’s scrutiny committee for bipartisan oversight.
Inpex reported an oil spill at its Ichthys facility on Darwin Harbour earlier this month, which was made public days after the Japanese gas giant admitted to under-reporting toxic emissions for years at the same facility, with calls for a public inquiry into the company’s failures.
Racing Minister Marie-Clare Boothby has defended the beleaguered Racing and Wagering Commission’s alleged conflicts of interest with the industry it regulates – that formed the focus of a recent Four Corners investigation – by suggesting it would be “amazing” if she could take two crossbench MLAs to the racetrack and lay a couple bets down with them to “see what happens”.
A drunk taxi driver carrying a passenger was one of four drivers caught with a medium-range blood-alcohol reading last weekend, as part of a targeted NT Police traffic operation that saw 165 drivers tested through two random breath testing stations in Darwin and Palmerston, police said.
Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has been referred to the anti-corruption watchdog by a federal senator after allegations were raised in a national law journal about the CLP Government blocking the NT Supreme Court from issuing media statements and an alleged new policy that all its communications need to be approved by the Attorney-General’s Department’s chief executive.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government’s pick to run the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority went to university with the Chief Minister’s husband and remains close friends with him, the NT Independent can reveal, with the appointment made amid sweeping changes to the Sacred Sites Act and the government’s move to push through the proposed Darwin Waterfront hotel project despite traditional owners’ objections.
The NT’s environmental regulator is investigating after Inpex admitted to under-reporting toxic emissions from its Ichthys LNG plant, with errors in the way “some emissions” from the plant have been calculated and reported since 2018, including volatile organic compounds such as benzene, a leukaemia-causing chemical, which a doctor says could cause serious health problems.
A 36-year-old woman who allegedly lit a car on fire on Kempe Street in Alice Springs on Monday afternoon has been charged with vehicle and arson offences, NT Police said.
NT Police have released CCTV footage of an aggravated burglary that occurred at the government armoury in Katherine East on Saturday, October 11, as they continue to appeal to the public for information to aid in their ongoing investigation.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has refused to comment on revelations Darwin Waterfront Corporation chief executive Alastair Shields is using the Kitchener Drive multi-storey carpark as a private garage for his vintage Mercedes collection at taxpayer expense, while tax compliance issues remain unanswered, with the Auditor-General recommending the corporation ensure it has met all tax reporting requirements.
Darwin and Palmerston bus drivers, represented by the Transport Workers’ Union, have warned that further industrial action could occur if a fair offer is not made by private bus operator CDC, following Monday’s strike action that shut down bus services in the Greater Darwin area.
