Darwin Turf Club emails between Brett Dixon and Alf Leonardi raise questions about Michael Gunner’s leadership

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner’s reign as leader is now in serious jeopardy.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon before the 2018 Darwin Cup

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner’s reign as leader is now in serious jeopardy.

Revelations that his former chief-of-staff Alf Leonardi helped the Darwin Turf Club write a letter which led to them receiving $12 million in taxpayers’ money raises many questions.

The biggest question is: Why was Mr Leonardi operating in such a manner without his boss knowing?

We understand government ministers need to rely on their senior staff by delegating tasks but there was a lot on the line for Mr Gunner and his government with this particular project.

Not only was the project not budgeted for in the 2019-20 Territory budget, it was a project happening in the very heart of the Chief Minister’s electorate in Fannie Bay.

Construction of the grandstand will end only weeks before the Territory election on August 22.

Mr Gunner, in his capacity as leader, should have been across every single detail of who spoke to who leading up to the awarding of the $12 million grant for the grandstand.

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To come out now, only after a Freedom of Information application by the ABC, saying he had no knowledge of the emails is concerning.

Did Mr Gunner and Mr Leonardi not communicate with one another about this project?

Alf Leonardi

What was the Cabinet process leading up to it voting to award the $12 million to the turf club?

The Independent Commissioner Against Corruption will determine what, if any, action happens to Mr Leonardi over his emails to turf club chairman Brett Dixon.

Defenders of Mr Leonardi say he has done nothing wrong but when given a chance to make public comment, he has so far refused.

One industry leader has commented this morning that this whole saga shows that “anyone wanting advice on writing grant letters to the Cabinet should just direct their queries straight to the fifth floor”.

It does beg the question: Who else during the Gunner Government’s reign has been given the inside running on government processes and how to get the best chance of accessing taxpayers’ money?

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Attorney-General Natasha Fyles on Mix 104.9 this morning was wavering in her support for Mr Gunner when asked.

In her answer, she described how she operates and how she is across details in her portfolios.

There’s no doubt Ms Fyles’ remarks were a slight at Mr Gunner’s leadership style.

Whether or not that means Ms Fyles is preparing to challenge for the top job remains to be seen.

The Johnston by-election on February 29 will be a defining day for Labor.

Today, we are asking every Cabinet minister and Labor MLA whether or not they continue to support Mr Gunner as leader.

We will let you know how each of them responds.