The war on Christmas escalated quickly Thursday afternoon when Major Events Minister Marie-Clare Boothby decreed that the CLP Government will take over control of the Darwin Christmas Pageant next year, after Darwin Council moved to ban a Christian group from attending this year’s parade, which Ms Boothby described as “un-Australian”. The government’s decision had the Mayor accusing it of “politicising” the event.
Five people have been arrested with one person still on the run after four allegedly stolen vehicles fled police in convoy from Darwin to the Daly River district, with police alleging offenders threw metal objects at vehicles and attempted to ram police cars, NT Police said.
Six Katherine Hospital staff members were allegedly kicked, punched, bitten, spat on and chased around the Emergency Department on Sunday in a violent scene, while two staff members were allegedly hit over the head with a set of baby scales by a patient before they were “taken down by a team of nursing staff”, which follows repeated safety warnings the Health Department ignored, the union representing nurses has said.
The Federal Labor Government has made good on its threat to divert funding from the NT Government to community organisations over concerns the Finocchiaro CLP Government is failing to deliver for Indigenous Territorians, moving to divert $80 million through a Closing the Gap program to the NT’s Aboriginal peak body.
A breach of bail charge against Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling involving the alleged assault of Administrator David Connolly has been withdrawn by the prosecution, with Mr Gosling’s lawyer stating the legal move is a “significant one”.
The CLP moved to condemn Labor MLA Chansey Paech in Parliament Thursday for criticising the government over the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby, following the release of a report into the department’s handling of the case, while Labor accused the Children and Families Minister of leaking sensitive information to a favoured media outlet that could cause issues for the upcoming murder trial.
Children and Families Minister Robyn Cahill prioritised changing child protection laws over the past two years to suit her party’s ideology while ignoring her department’s culpability in failing to keep children safe, NAAJA says, while the co-author of the report that identified the department’s extensive failings says she is “very confident” action will occur within the next six months, with other groups warning reforms will reduce the threshold to remove children by an already overwhelmed department.
Former NSW Ambulance commissioner Dominic Morgan has been appointed chief executive officer of the Royal Flying Doctor Service SA/NT, weeks after the organisation was awarded the NT Government’s $625 million aeromedical retrieval contract for the Top End.
A report into the NT Department of Children and Families’ handling of the case of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted and murdered earlier this year has found multiple failures by the department, including that child “safety plans” are not adequately monitored and that the case of Kumanjayi Little Baby was not an isolated failing in the department rife with leadership shortcomings and no accountability.
Darwin Council is still withholding records on the controversial Cyclone Tracy memorial’s design selection two years after an FOI application was filed, citing a non-existent provision of the Information Act to justify its refusal, while the Information Commissioner has yet to resolve a cyclone survivor’s complaint after 22 months.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government will follow other states’ lead by mandating that the Darwin Private Hospital operator provide maternity services by law, but the move comes 16 months after the services stopped because the government failed to act on advice that it legislate for it at the time. An obstetrician has also warned it will now take at least two years for the services to return.
More in-fighting in Territory Labor has led to mixed messaging about whether the Opposition will support independent MLA Justine Davis’ gambling reform bill that will be introduced to Parliament this week, which proposes strengthened conflicts of interest rules for NT wagering commission members, banning inducements to problem gamblers and introducing stronger penalties for operators that fail to meet their obligations.
