Kon Vatskalis’s eight-year reign as Darwin Lord Mayor ended this week in a third-place finish, while his legacy will live on in controversy, defined by the selection of the kinetic sculpture called ‘Coriolis’ as a Cyclone Tracy memorial that he later claimed was not a memorial, leading to a tangled story involving political cover-ups and ratepayer-funded threats of legal action against members of the public for trying to find answers.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has appointed the former deputy chief executive of the City of Palmerston as the new CEO of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, amid assurances her former boss, head public servant Luccio Circarelli, was not involved in the hiring process.
EDITORIAL: The Northern Territory’s public integrity bodies’ ongoing dysfunction is due in part to the CLP Government’s own integrity failures, its insistence on bypassing democratic standards and its stubborn refusal to recognise investment in accountability is crucial to the future of the Territory instead of viewing transparency as a threat to its day-to-day business model.
Recent suspected dog poisoning incidents in the northern suburbs has led the NT Government to issue a warning to pet owners to be vigilant to protect their pooches.
An MLA, a national integrity body and the Environment Centre are calling for action to be taken against the head of the NT Environment Protection Authority after it was revealed on Friday that he did not disclose a perceived conflict of interest he had by working for a lobbyist firm that did work for the co-owner of the Darwin Liquified Natural Gas plant, the gas plant he made key decisions about after it was found to be leaking methane.
Newly-elected Darwin Lord Mayor Peter Styles has sent defeated candidate Amye Un a cease and desist legal letter, attempting to publicly silence her on questionable legal grounds over her allegation he and his election team were involved in the production and distribution of fraudulent how-to-vote cards during the mayoral election, which is currently under investigation by the NT Police.
SunCable has shifted its focus to supplying renewable energy to Australian data centres through its Australia-Asia Power Link solar and battery initiative, which the company said was in response to the growing demand for renewable solutions for energy-intensive data centres and will occur before exporting the power overseas.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has been sacked from the Liberal frontbench after refusing to publicly support Sussan Ley’s leadership amid an ongoing dispute over comments she made last week about the Albanese Government prioritising migrants from India because they support Labor.
Larrakia traditional owner Richard Fejo says he was sacked from his role as chair of the Australia Day Council NT by Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro this week after criticising the CLP Government, a move he says is part of a “childish strategy” by the government to silence dissenting voices.
More than 2100 alcohol and drug road tests were administered in Alice Springs over the past week as part of an extensive police traffic blitz during the Red Centre Nats weekend that resulted in dozens of traffic charges, 160 speeding fines issued and five vehicles seized for hooning offences, NT Police said.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro is on her way to Japan today to discuss the Territory’s “strategic and economic partnerships with Japan”, which it appears will focus on gas and mining with private companies, while details of who in the Japanese Government she is meeting with to directly discuss increasing the presence of Japanese forces in the NT was not disclosed.
Hospital patients will soon be able to experience Kakadu and Litchfield national parks as part of a 360-degree virtual reality experience from the Holiday from Hospital program created by the Chimera Legacy Foundation.
