Chief Minister Michael Gunner must immediately pay back the public money he used for campaign purposes during the 2020 NT election that violated caretaker guidelines and should be investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog for his “unethical” and “dodgy” dealings, the Opposition and an independent MLA say.
EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Michael Gunner charged taxpayers more than $20,000 for charter flights to campaign across the Territory during the 2020 general election, in an apparent breach of caretaker conventions, the NT Independent can reveal. The flights included family, a personal photographer and were approved by Mr Gunner’s brother-in-law.
The Country Liberal Party breached the Electoral Act by not fully reporting its political donations during last year’s election campaign and the CFMEU has refused to provide documentation about its involvement on behalf of Labor, a new report by the NT Electoral Commission has found.
ANALYSIS: The Territory Labor Party’s stinging rejection of an order from its leader has delivered the biggest blow to Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s leadership in four-and-a-half years and has cast doubt over his ability to retain support for the top job.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner continues to remain silent over the extent of his Labor government’s involvement in attempting to cover up the ‘cocaine sex scandal’ that continues to plague his leadership – even as fresh evidence has emerged in recent days appearing to implicate his team.
EXCLUSIVE: A portion of an ABC Radio interview segment involving the woman at the centre of the Labor cocaine sex scandal that detailed politically damaging sexual comments, did not air because Labor MLA Mark Turner ordered that it be cut, new text messages reveal.
EXCLUSIVE: Newly obtained text messages between disgraced Labor backbencher Mark Turner and the woman with whom he and a senior adviser to the Chief Minister were carrying out extra-marital affairs have raised fresh questions about Labor’s involvement in attempting to cover-up the “cocaine sex scandal”.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s refusal to drug test politicians and their staffers while calling for police officers to be tested is “the greatest hypocrisy” and insulting to police, says the NT Police Association’s president.
EXCLUSIVE: The senior adviser to the Chief Minister who resigned last week over his role in the sex scandal engulfing the Gunner Government is Territory Labor powerbroker Kent Rowe – who ran the NT Labor Party for the better part of the last decade – and who sent a picture of his penis to a local “bondage mistress”, messages reveal.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner says a “server fault” was to blame for his office not receiving a crucial email from the NT Independent last Monday that revealed explicit messages between ousted MLA Mark Turner, a fifth floor staffer and a woman with whom both men had carried out extra-marital affairs.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s claims that he and his “team” were unaware of explicit text messages between ousted Blain MLA Mark Turner and his mistress until hours before Mr Turner admitted the affair are untrue, the NT Independent can confirm.
The Opposition has accused the Gunner Government of “witness tampering” and “perverting the course of justice” after the NT Independent revealed Labor backbencher Mark Turner attempted to persuade his lover to make a false public statement about their affair, and suggested the cover-up of the sex scandal has put Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s leadership in jeopardy.
