Miner accused by Chief Minister says he ‘never lied’: Chief to reveal more details

The miner accused by Chief Minister Michael Gunner on Thursday night of lying about his presence in the Darwin community before heading to Howard Springs quarantine has hit back, saying he ‘never lied’.

The miner accused by Chief Minister Michael Gunner of lying about his presence in the Darwin community before heading to Howard Springs quarantine has hit back saying he never lied. Picture: Glenn Campbell

THE miner accused by Chief Minister Michael Gunner late Thursday night of lying about his presence in the Darwin community before heading to Howard Springs quarantine has hit back saying he never lied.

The miner told Mix 104.9’s Katie Woolf that he has been honest with NT authorities about visiting the Stuart Park shops on Sunday afternoon.

A government spokesman said the Chief Minister would provide further information about the miner’s conversations with authorities at a scheduled press conference today.

The mine worker, who has contracted Covid-19, stopped at a Stuart Park corner store to buy cigarettes, while on his way to quarantine at Howard Springs.

The man, aged in his 50s, went to the Corner Store Friendly Grocer in Stuart Park between 12.18pm and 12.35pm on Sunday.

At 1pm the same day Mr Gunner announced the Greater Darwin area would go into lockdown.

The Chief Minister has asked anyone in the store between those times to self-isolate until they get a negative test.

“Our team has been constantly interrogating and reviewing information, we can now advise he also spent a reasonable time in the community on Sunday, before he arrived at the Centre for National Resilience,” Mr Gunner said on Thursday.

“He broke the law, and he lied about it. We discovered this exposure site after continuing to interrogate and review all information, including interviewing contacts and reviewing CCTV footage.”