The ICAC has delivered an explosive report into the Gunner Government’s $12 million grandstand grant to the Darwin Turf Club, with findings of “corruption, misconduct, breaches of public trust and mismanagement of public resources”, implicating senior public servants, local businessmen and Darwin Turf Club members.
Senator Sam McMahon has denied allegations she was drunk on the floor of the Senate chamber Tuesday night, issuing a statement from an unnamed “spokesman” who criticised the claims for being from unnamed sources.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has defended the freedom of the press in a bizarre public statement, seemingly forgetting his own illegal and petty ban on independent media in the NT.
Police commissioner Jamie Chalker has confirmed the NT Police have launched an official investigation into the NT Independent – an online publication its executive does not respond to – after a series of articles exposed massive failures by the police brass, including sexual assaults not being publicly reported and the police college using unqualified instructors.
The Darwin Turf Club’s major players, including those who sat on the panel that selected Jaytex as the winning contractor for the $12 million grandstand project, had serious conflicts of interest, some of which do not appear to have been disclosed, the NT Independent can reveal.
Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ken Fleming has broken his silence over the NT News’ recent onslaught of criticism, telling the NT Independent he will be addressing the issue “at the appropriate time” and said he hoped the NT News was pursuing the matter with “legitimate journalistic purpose”.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has prevented the Opposition from questioning head public servant Jodie Ryan at estimates hearings over why the apolitical public service appears to be carrying out a political directive to not respond to the NT Independent.
Independent MLA Robyn Lambley has blasted Treasurer and Chief Minister Michael Gunner for seeming to claim he fixed the previous CLP government’s debt trajectory during a fiery budget estimates hearings at Parliament today.
EXCLUSIVE: The majority of the Darwin Turf Club’s board of directors were nervous about public backlash, and some feared a corruption investigation, but they unanimously approved giving chairman Brett Dixon’s company the $12 million taxpayer-funded grandstand contract anyway, internal club records obtained by the NT Independent show.
EXCLUSIVE: The NT Government could be forced to pay millions in damages and every criminal court case over the past few years could be called into question after revelations the NT police college was using unqualified instructors and allowed new recruits on the beat before they could be properly assessed, a national civil rights organisation says.
The most marginal victory in Australian political history was not challenged in the Court of Disputed Returns despite Labor alleging fraudulent postal votes, a new report into last year’s Territory general election has found.
EXCLUSIVE: The NT police college continued to employ unqualified instructors and failed to address the “significant risks” of putting cops on the beat before their competency was assessed, two years after a damning audit exposed serious non-compliance issues, the NT Independent can reveal.
