EDITORIAL: We heard the Chief Minister and the Police Commissioner loud and clear when they said any assertion the police would be politically motivated while investigating the Gosling-Connolly spectacle was “insulting”. Our response is, frankly, we don’t care how you want to take it or if it hurts your feelings, history has shown us you need to bring in independent oversight of this wacky investigation in the best interests of the Northern Territory.
New research analysing more than three million online posts has revealed how anti-First Nations hate grows around political debates and public controversies, with racist stereotypes portraying Indigenous people as criminals, welfare or alcohol dependent, “not black enough”, or undeserving recipients of government support, write Matteo Vergani and Fiona Allison.
As fewer Australian children learn to ride a bike, AusBike is taking a new approach to teaching the skill by using games and confidence-building rather than training wheels, to help increase childhood independence and freedom, writes Tom Allen.
The proposed sale of public land at 7 Waratah Crescent, Fannie Bay, for medium-density housing ignores community concerns and could worsen congestion and emergency access issues near Pearl aged care and Waratah Oval, writes Sonja Pastor.
The minister’s decision not to heritage list the Esplanade undermined years of expert assessment and public consultation, warning it could open the door to gradual commercialisation of one of the city’s most significant public spaces, writes Planning Action Network convenor Nick Kirlew.
The cultural and historical significance of the Kulaluk Cemetery and its historic access route is being erased as the land leading to it is being developed, writes Sonja Pastor.
I paid for parking in Darwin but was fined after accidentally entering the wrong registration number, despite providing evidence of payment, Paul Castle writes.
ANALYSIS: The recent demotion of Assistant Commissioner Janelle Tonkin suggests superficially a willingness to enforce discipline, although what she is alleged to have done remains a mystery – whatever the cause of Tonkin’s fall, this rare act of accountability stands in stark contrast to so many others in recent years who have acted with impunity.
A hyperscale AI data centre proposed for the Barkly would require a gas-fired power station larger than the one powering the Darwin-Katherine grid, as well as a new gas pipeline and vast groundwater extraction, despite being promoted as a renewable-powered project, writes Justin Tutty.
The relocation of a Stuart Park bus stop has left older people and those with mobility issues without shelter, seating or adequate accessibility, writes Craig Hubbard.
Darwin residents are increasingly concerned about emissions from the city’s LNG plants, particularly benzene and other toxic gases, as regulators approve expanded “hot venting” while community groups push for independent air monitoring and experts warn of serious health risks even at low levels of exposure, academics Melissa Haswell and Kerrie Mengersen write.
Australia is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to hold opinions without interference, raising questions about the ABC’s rejection of multiple attempts by writer Sall Grover to publish a response on women’s rights, writes Gerry Wood.
