The NT Electoral Commission has opened nominations for the Barkly Regional Council election, required following dismissal of the last council was dismissed after an investigation found there were unmanaged conflicts of interest, breaches of the Local Government Act and “serious deficiencies” in the conduct of council affairs.

NT Electoral Commissioner Kirsten Kelly said the period for nominating for the role of mayor and the 12 council divisions commenced on September 20 and will conclude on October 10.

The election will fill vacancies across four wards: five in Alyawarr; one in Alpurrurulam; two in Kuwarrangu; and five in Patta.

Then-Local Government Minister Chanston Paech announced on June 20 that he had dismissed the council’s elected members after suspending them on October 17, 2023, at least 15 months after many serious allegations were first made to the Local Government Unit, with most levelled against the former chief executive officer Emma Bradbury and mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin.

Mr Paech ordered an independent investigation, and the resulting 600-page report by lawyer Ruth Morley recommended that Ms Bradbury be considered for prosecution over breaches of the Local Government Act related to a conflict of interest. Ms Bradbury denied any wrong doing.

The recommendation to consider prosecution of the CEO was contained in an earlier version of Ms Morley’s report, seen by the NT Independent, but which appears to have been redacted from the version that was made public on the day the council was dismissed.

The report also found there were unmanaged conflicts of interest, breaches of the Local Government Act and “serious deficiencies” in the conduct of council affairs, including that councillors did not establish an audit committee to oversee financial management, and that councillors did not understand their roles.

However, the terms of reference for Ms Morley’s investigation did not include probing code of conduct breaches by elected members including Mr McLaughlin, and the non-elected Ms Bradbury, despite the serious allegations of bullying, harassment, and mismanagement at the troubled council, which included the bungled handling of a sexual harassment complaint made by a young Indigenous woman.

Mr McLaughlin also denied any wrongdoing.

Ms Kelly said anyone interested in contesting the election should familiarise themselves with the nomination procedure and the criteria for eligibility.

“There are a number of resources available on the NTEC website to support potential candidates and I encourage anyone who is interested to contact the NT Electoral Commission with any questions and for more information,” Commissioner Kelly said.

Residents within the Barkly Regional Council area need to verify their enrolment status before the enrolment period ends at 5pm on Tuesday, October 1.

The announcement of candidates and the allocation of their positions on the ballot papers is scheduled for Friday, October 11.

The election will be held on Saturday, November 2, with early voting from Monday, October 21.