EXCLUSIVE: The major ICAC investigation into the Territory Labor Government’s misuse of public funds for political campaigning during the 2020 election has been compromised, the NT Independent can reveal, after an ICAC staffer involved in the investigation failed to disclose two potential conflicts of interest, including that he had previously discussed a career on the fifth floor with a key witness.
EXCLUSIVE: The Office of the ICAC hired a Labor Party member last year to undertake unspecified legal duties in the organisation, the NT Independent can reveal, which comes following revelations a CLP operative was hired last month as an investigator that Commissioner Michael Riches contends now was an “organisational failure”.
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-corruption commissioner Michael Riches sent an extraordinary letter to the Chief Minister on Saturday, following public criticism of his office hiring a CLP operative as an investigator, in which he blamed the Fyles Labor Government’s funding cuts for the inability to attract suitable investigators and called for changes to the law to forbid politically-aligned people working in his office.
EXCLUSIVE: The NT’s anti-corruption commissioner has defended hiring a CLP executive member to oversee reports to his office, after Commissioner Michael Riches first indicated he was not aware of his new investigator’s political ties, the NT Independent can reveal.
EXCLUSIVE: Labor Speaker Mark Monaghan secretly charged taxpayers for a late-night flight on Territory Day to the Solomon Islands for an exclusive international parliamentary get-together that involved a ceremony with a giant pig and young men in loincloths, while posting images to social media this week that make it appear he is in Darwin, the NT Independent can reveal.
Proposed changes to the NT ICAC Act that would prevent the anti-corruption commissioner from naming politicians and public servants found to have engaged in misconduct in certain circumstances is “inappropriate” for an independent investigative body, a leading anti-corruption expert has said.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles refused to answer questions about the secret taxpayer-funded payout to former police commissioner Jamie Chalker, including if her letter to Mr Chalker, in which she made factual mistakes, resulted in a larger payout than if the sacking followed proper processes.
Police Minister Kate Worden hired a lawyer to threaten to sue Action for Alice Facebook page administrator Darren Clark over comments he published about his first meeting with her, the NT Independent understands, which Ms Worden told Estimates this morning she paid for herself.
Amid a stalled ICAC investigation into former chief minister Michael Gunner’s alleged travel rorts during the 2020 election, a former Labor president and senior adviser to three chief ministers has called on the Fyles Government to work with the Opposition and independent MLAs to end the misuse of public money for political purposes.
Territory Labor has attempted to expel MLA Mark Turner from the party for not following its rules, however in a cruel twist of irony for the party and its president, internal documents show Territory Labor has not followed its own rules in the dismissal.
EXCLUSIVE: The independent body that determines NT politicians’ salaries and benefits has refused to explain how two Labor MLAs were able to charge taxpayers for personal holidays on their government fuel cards through a benefit scheme that does not appear to exist.
CLP Leader Lia Finocchiaro has defeated a no confidence motion in her leadership brought forward by disgruntled branches of the party at the weekend’s central council, the party’s president has said.
