ANALYSIS: The scandal engulfing Michael Gunner in the days leading up to his resignation goes to the heart of the NT’s democracy, reaching not only into the highest political office in the Territory, but also directly into the highest office in the public service.
Nicole Manison has refused to publicly say whether she is putting her hand up to be the next Chief Minister, but guaranteed Territorians a new chief would be chosen on Friday morning to provide “stability”.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner resigned while he and his office are currently under investigation by the NT’s anti-corruption body, the ICAC and an independent MLA have confirmed.
UPDATED: Treasurer and Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the Territory’s finances are in a better position than previously forecast, thanks to an unanticipated increase in federal GST payments figures show, with minor cost-savings made by the government, which he claimed will result in a surplus budget by 2026 – the same year net debt is scheduled to reach more than $9.4 billion.
UPDATED: Chief Minister Michael Gunner has announced his shock resignation while delivering this morning’s budget in Parliament.
The Gunner Government has not properly implemented many key budget repair measures it claimed it has and has no effective way of measuring government savings or whether it can ever get back to a sustainable financial position, a scathing Auditor General’s report has found.
The Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet has refused to explain incomplete travel records provided to the NT Independent last year under FOI laws that showed Michael Gunner’s then-deputy chief of staff and brother-in-law approved the use of taxpayer funds for campaign purposes in apparent contravention of the law.
Senator Sam McMahon, who resigned from the CLP earlier this year, will re-contest the upcoming federal election as a Liberal Democrat, she has announced.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has thrown his support behind beleaguered Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker in Parliament, in the face of three NT Independent articles this week based on different detectives’ diary notes that contradict Mr Chalker’s claims that he was not involved in the process to charge Constable Zach Rolfe with murder in 2019.
NT Parliament descended into farce again Wednesday afternoon, with the Gunner Government using parliamentary technicalities to block the Opposition from asking the Chief Minister about his role in the Zach Rolfe ICAC investigation and the Speaker kicking the Opposition Leader out of Parliament, later admitting she was “confused”.
The Opposition has used Parliament to move a censure motion against Chief Minister Michael Gunner for rejecting a public inquiry into allegations of political interference in the Constable Zach Rolfe affair and called on him to stand aside while the ICAC investigates.
A senior adviser to the Chief Minister allegedly told an Alice Springs businessman to “fuck off” twice after he had raised concerns about crime issues during a government visit to the town last week, independent MLA Robyn Lambley said in Parliament.
