CM backs leak probe: Alleged Turf Club ICAC breach ‘extremely serious’

Chief Minister Michael Gunner says allegations by Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon of “apparent leaking” of confidential Independent Commission Against Corruption evidence must be investigated.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon.

• ‘I DID NOT ASK FOR ANY FAVOURS’: Dixon calls on govt to clear the air about grant decision making process
• Final ICAC Turf Club report included incomplete text message
• CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS: ICAC Turf Club report, internal investigations, estimates saga

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner says allegations by Darwin Turf Club (DTC) chairman Brett Dixon of “apparent leaking” of confidential Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) evidence must be investigated.

Mr Dixon on Monday called for a police investigation into the process of the ICAC’s report on the DTC $12m grandstand grant.

He also wants new NT corruption watchdog Michael Riches to investigate a potential scandal involving what Mr Dixon says is the “apparent leaking” of the confidential evidence that he says only the ICAC office was in possession of but has been published by online media outlet the NT Independent.

“The ICAC must be above reproach,” Mr Gunner said.

“The allegations that confidential information relating to the ICAC investigation into the Darwin Turf Club grandstand was leaked are extremely serious.

“It is important the allegations are investigated to ensure ongoing confidence in the ICAC. We understand police have also confirmed they will investigate the allegations.”

Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture: Che Chorley

The Chief Minister told the NT News he had written to the new ICAC Commissioner to ensure he was aware of the allegations. NT police have confirmed they are investigating Mr Dixon’s complaint. Mr Dixon maintains the findings made against him by ICAC of ‘corrupt conduct’, ‘misconduct’ and a ‘breach of public trust’ are untenable and he has started judicial review proceedings out of the Supreme Court against the ICAC to quash them. Among allegations of leaking, Mr Dixon referred to seized audio recordings of DTC board meetings “which somehow have turned up in the hands of one media outlet”.

Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon.

Mr Dixon said words omitted by the ICAC from a text message he was sent “fundamentally undermine the interpretation the ICAC put on the text in the report”.

Mr Dixon highlighted a “media outlet and its associates” that claimed “to have seen a text message from my mobile telephone which I was forced to hand over to ICAC during this process”.

“While not identified in the ICAC report, the sender of this message has since been identified by a media outlet which claims to have ‘seen … the original message referred to in the ICAC report’ and ‘confirmed through various sources’,” Mr Dixon said.

“It wasn’t confirmed by me or the sender. So who was it? Who else could have access to it? Why is the quote from the message in the ICAC report incomplete?”

MORE TOP NEWS

REVEALED: NT government to pay out hundreds of former NT youth detainees in $35 million class action settlement

The sender of the text was former NT News editor Matt Williams.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the ICAC should be subject to as much rigour as it exerted. She said a review was needed to make sure that the “inspector process and other things are working as intended”.

“For the ICAC to enjoy the confidence of Territorians the review needs to be done in full view of the community,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro said any review must be done in an open and transparent way that allowed Territorians and stakeholders to participate in full public view.

“Instead, that was shut down by a desperate Gunner government who have instead opted for a closed-shop internal process, presumably because it serves their purposes,” she said.

“For Territorians to have confidence in the ICAC, we need to have confidence in the processes.

This process should be bipartisan and open to Territorians to participate in.”

The ICAC was contacted for comment.