The Finocchiaro Government has now said it is working to “fix” Legal Aid NT’s funding shortfall, a week after the issue became public, but has not said what it will do, while the agency itself will not say what the government is doing, or whether it will still dramatically reduce its representation of people in criminal matters.
Public drinking will be criminalised with police given new powers to issue on-the-spot fines, as well as arrest and charge people for consuming alcohol in prohibited places, under so-called ‘nuisance drinker’ laws, the Alcohol Policy Minister Steve Edgington has said, but a peak alcohol body has said it would be better to treat the issue with a therapeutic, rather than punitive approach.
The CLP Government’s new ram raiding law will carry the same maximum penalty as the offence of damage to property, which already covers ram raids.
Extensive cropping, land clearing, the allocation of a large amount of irrigation water, along with a poor water management framework, could severely damage Northern Territory rivers, a new report produced by consultants on behalf of an environmentally-focussed alliance has found.
A man has been charged with murder over the stabbing death of his nephew in Malak, NT Police said.
Police will be given the power to use hand-held metal detectors to search for weapons in schools, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said, while principals will “very likely” be able to reject their use while new Greens MLA Kat McNamara said the move was turning schools in airport security checkpoints and asked the Chief Minister to rule out police using the wands in primary schools.
Inadequate funding has been blamed for NT Legal Aid not taking on new adult clients in criminal matters from October 21 and imposing a range of other service cuts.
A woman’s electric scooter was stolen late at night in Alice Springs by two male youths who blocked her path, hit her on the wrist and pulled it away from her, NT Police said.
An independent MLA has questioned why acting Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Naomi Loudon selected the person to assume responsibility for Operator Jupiter rather using ICAC legislation to have the Administrator independently appoint a temporary commissioner.
The Territory’s former top traffic cop will contest a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice relating to a traffic matter.
The partner of a woman who was found dead in Katherine on Monday night has been arrested, NT Police said, while police are also looking for information about a man who was assaulted in the town later in the night and had to be flown to Darwin for treatment.
The Darwin Basketball Association Board could not explain at its annual general meeting why it considered the association solvent given a warning from auditors at the end of last year that there was significant doubt about its capacity to continue as a going concern.
