Territorians will head back to the polls this month, this time to elect local councils, which will mark the third trip to polling booths in the past year, with early voting starting on Monday. SEE WHO’S RUNNING
CLP’s pepper spray changes could mean ‘no consequences’ for death or serious harm caused by users
The way the Finocchiaro CLP Government has implemented its plan to legally arm Territorians with pepper spray as of next month ignored “normal parliamentary processes” and could lead to users of the spray not being held legally responsible for causing death or serious harm, which an NT Greens MLA says creates the potential for “vigilantism” and racially-motivated attacks.
‘Jim Beam’ house listed for sale at $10 million
Darwin’s iconic ‘Jim Beam house’ which contains five bathrooms and five powder rooms, but only one ballroom, has been listed for sale at $10 million by agents acting for owner, developer and former abattoir worker, John ‘Foxy’ Robinson.
Darwin Festival 2025 kicks off today with ‘more venues, more vibe’
Darwin Festival 2025 has officially launched, marking its largest ever presence across the city, showcasing 402 shows this year, featuring 734 artists, across a record 50 venues from August 7 to 24.
‘Our members will not be threatened’: NTPA members reject government pay offer
More than 80 per cent of NT Police officers who took part in a ballot on a new pay offer have voted against the deal, which included a three per cent wage increase, the NT Police Association has said, amid threats from the government that rejecting the deal could lead to cuts to housing entitlements along with generous personal leave provisions.
Mandorah ferry terminal to open as cost blows out to $85 million
The Mandorah ferry terminal and associated works will open to the public later this month with a total build cost of $85 million, the Finocchiaro Government has said, which is $39 million more than estimated in 2017, and comes more than six years after the former Labor government declared it a priority project.
Federal Government to review controversial NT cotton development
A proposed cotton farming project on the WA/NT border will be the first major land clearing application in the Territory to be considered by the Federal Government under national environment laws, while the owners of Claravale Station have suspended their massive land clearing plans, the Environment Centre NT said.
Death in custody as inmate dies in hospital
The death of a 59-year-old male corrections inmate at Royal Darwin Hospital on Sunday is being investigated as a death in custody, but the NT Independent understands it is not being treated as suspicious.
Suns want to ditch Darwin games: Report
The Gold Coast Suns are trying to get out of the $2 million a year deal it signed with the Northern Territory Government to play two matches in Darwin, a new report suggests, but the claim has been dismissed by the club’s chair who also said the team would be reviewing how many games they play in the city after 2026.
Homeless services across the Territory to see cash injection through federal grants
The NT Government will distribute $231 million in federal grants over the next four years to homelessness frontline and support services across the NT, which comes as Indigenous groups have continued their calls for the Federal Government to withhold money from the NT Government over its refusal to meet with Aboriginal groups to discuss crime solutions and failing to meet KPIs on Closing the Gap objectives.
‘A concerning lack of transparency’: Committee’s report into Waterfront scandal raises further ‘governance failures’
A new report by the government’s Public Accounts Committee into the Darwin Waterfront Corporation has raised fresh concerns about ongoing “governance failures” and a culture of cover-up at the troubled corporation – that received more than $25 million of taxpayer money last year – with one committee member stating the brief public inquiry held in June was “fundamentally inadequate” and permitted the corporation to avoid accountability by withholding key documents.
CLP rejects expert evidence to pass controversial reforms to Youth Justice Act
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has passed changes to the Youth Justice Act in Parliament on urgency Thursday night, that will see the use of spit hoods on children reinstated, the principle of detention as a last resort removed, increased powers for youth justice officers to use force on youth inmates and the reintroduction of the use of restraint devices and dogs, essentially rolling back the changes made in response to the royal commission into youth detention in 2017.