CLP Minister Steve Edgington has publicly said he will not run for One Nation at the next federal election in the Territory when asked on Wednesday, but the NT Independent can reveal he engaged in talks with a senior party figure about leaving the Finocchiaro CLP Government to have a tilt with Pauline Hanson’s party. Mr Edgington’s advances are likely to destabilise leadership and relationships within Cabinet two years into the CLP’s term, a party source said.
The suicide death of Acacia IT system contractor Shaun Joyce was emblematic of staff experiences within the “toxic, fragile and insular” workplace culture that was “cultivated by senior management” and harmful to staff, the Public Accounts Committee report has found, while his sister says project leaders have not honestly reflected on what they did and failed to do to prevent his death.
Construction of the Manton Dam Return to Service project that will see the facility returned as a drinking water source is officially complete, a year after claims it was “nearing completion”, with the government and Power and Water Corporation stating it has come in $15 million under budget.
The Public Accounts Committee has found the troubled Acacia system should only be used to keep patient records, not replace existing NT Health IT systems, after failing to achieve the objectives it was created for, while the committee’s scathing inquiry report recommended no additional money should be allocated beyond the $335 million already spent.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro misrepresented crime statistics when she claimed this week the NT has fallen to 2017 crime levels, a claim that was made despite an official warning that older data cannot be compared with current data following the introduction of new police software, while independent MLA Justine Davis accused the CLP of blatantly manipulating statistics to create a false narrative of community safety.
UPDATED: The planning and development of data centres across the Northern Territory should be immediately halted until Territorians “know exactly what they are signing up for”, an independent MLA says, while the Labor Opposition moved a motion in Parliament Wednesday calling for an independent inquiry into the controversial projects.
Federal Labor Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has stood down from his role in the Albanese Government as special envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia citing “ongoing media attention” that has become a distraction to the business of government, which follows a breach of bail charge laid against him related to ongoing allegations he assaulted the NT Administrator.
UPDATED: Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling has been charged with breach of bail in relation to the ongoing allegations he assaulted Administrator David Connolly, NT Police said, with Mr Gosling’s office saying he intends to defend the new charge.
Uber will launch its ride services in Alice Springs in late 2026, the company has announced, recruiting local drivers and offering sign-up bonuses that will see transportation options expanded in Central Australia.
Territory Generation has released an expression of interest for a solar power plant of up to 15 megawatts, which would nearly quadruple Alice Springs’ commercial solar generation capacity.
NT director of building control Mark Meldrum personally blocked the public release of government documents sought through a Freedom of Information application that likely would have exposed why his flawed investigation of structural defects at the Kube Apartments building was taking two-and-a-half years, documents obtained by the NT Independent reveal, which created a blatant conflict of interest that two government departments have refused to explain.
The lead integration specialist on the Acacia IT project, who was responsible for ensuring its different systems could communicate and exchange data correctly, had his contract terminated two weeks ago, sources have told the NT Independent, making him the latest senior figure to depart the troubled project.
