UPDATED: Thousands of homes and businesses remained without power on Monday following Tropical Cyclone Fina’s damaging hit on the Greater Darwin area on Saturday, which left trees uprooted, homes and properties damaged, roads temporarily blocked, traffic lights out and structural damage to a hallway outside the intensive care unit at Royal Darwin Hospital.
A doctor at the centre of rape allegations and concerns of a “cover-up” of his behaviour was charged this week with the rape of one woman and the indecent assault of another, following a lengthy criminal investigation.
St John Ambulance NT CEO Andrew Tombs has resigned amid turmoil in the Territory’s ambulance service provider, the chair of the organisation announced on Friday in an internal message to staff.
The Australian Federal Police have now charged Jessica Buckley for her alleged role in the fraud involving $71 million worth of Department of Defence contracts, which comes nearly a week after her husband and a woman she started another company with were charged.
The Bureau of Meteorology has extended a ‘cyclone watch’ to include Darwin, as Tropical Cyclone Fina has started tracking south and is expected to make landfall on the Cobourg Peninsula late on Friday, while now tracking to pass over waters north of Darwin and south of Melville Island by Saturday bringing high winds, heavy rain and possible flash flooding.
Two companies linked to Michael Buckley and his co-accused have had their government contractor accreditation pulled, which will prevent both businesses from receiving government works and may affect subcontractors, as Mr Buckley faces federal corruption charges relating to the alleged rorting of Department of Defence building contracts valued at $71 million.
Proven liar and NT Police Commander Shaun Gill told a local radio station a male teen was arrested after allegedly throwing a gas bottle at a person in Darwin overnight and threatening people with an “edged weapon”, but that did not align with facts presented in a police press release, which is not the first time Mr Gill has misled the public.
NT musicians of all genres and performing styles looking to join the stage at next year’s Bassinthegrass can apply now to win a slot at the popular music festival alongside national and international acts.
M+J Builders co-director Jessica Buckley’s claims that she is an Indigenous woman from the Bundaberg region in Queensland have recently been called into question, the NT Independent understands, which comes as the NT Indigenous Business Network suspended the company’s membership on Tuesday, but which it said was due only to the federal corruption charges against her husband and co-director Michael Buckley.
A person accused of a crime in the Northern Territory will no longer be able to access legal aid and those on bail facing criminal offences, including children as young as 10, will also no longer be covered, part of “drastic action” taken by Legal Aid NT director Catherine Voumard to save money outlined in a letter to lawyers.
The three people charged after a federal corruption investigation involving the alleged rorting of Department of Defence contracts valued at up to $71 million, have been granted bail in Darwin Local Court this morning.
SunCable has reached a 70-year, multi-million dollar Indigenous Land Use Agreement with native title holders and the Northern Land Council for the construction of its proposed multi-gigawatt solar facility and battery storage facility at Powell Creek station, outside of Elliott.
