Former Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne resigns amid secret payout

Former Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne will receive a secret payout after resigning her post to ‘explore other opportunities’ interstate. Read the details.

Former Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne flanked by her legal team outside court. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The NT Government has reached a confidential settlement with Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne ahead of her resignation amid calls for an independent investigation into the failed attempt to have her prosecuted for abuse of office.

Details of the settlement will not be released but the NT Government has confirmed she has left her role.

“Ms Gwynne has resigned from her position,” a government spokeswoman said.

“Nicole Hucks will act in the role of Children’s Commissioner while recruitment is underway.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, acting Attorney-General Nicole Manison said Ms Gwynne would “remain interstate to explore other opportunities”.

“Ms Gwynne has served the Northern Territory public sector since 1988, including 25 years of service with the Northern Territory Police,” she said.

“We acknowledge her contributions to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, children.

“The Northern Territory Government wishes her and her family all the best.”

The abuse of office case against Ms Gwynne was thrown out of the NT Supreme Court in March when the prosecution conceded it did not have enough evidence to proceed.

She had been accused of giving favourable treatment to her friend Laura Dewson when trying to recruit an assistant commissioner, an accusation she has always denied.

Ms Gwynne and Ms Dewson are both former NT police employees.

Independent MLA Kezia Purick said the government should order an independent investigation into the attempt to have Ms Gwynne prosecuted.

“The question remains, why was there such an intense scrutiny and action and cost for what was basically a HR matter,” she said.

“The government seems to not what anything to do with it, I wonder if they actually have a good handle on what is happening in their departments.

“I think the government just wants it to go away.”

The office of the Director of Public Prosecutions spent more than $260,000 on Ms Gwynne’s case.

“This is the second payout of a public figure,” Ms Purick said.

“Why have we spent so much money pursuing a woman for a HR matter?”

The Government did not answer questions about how much was paid as part of Ms Gwynne’s settlement or about whether it would consider an independent investigation into the matter.

A Sky News investigation has previously revealed:

★Police ran surveillance on Ms Gwynne’s private home as well as bugging her phone and office and accessing her bank accounts as part of a three-year investigation into the allegations of abuse of office.

★Officers continued to investigate the case for 16 months after confirming a crucial piece of evidence detectives believed would mean “the whole job is gone”.

★The NT Government wanted Ms Gwynne – who had conducted damning investigations into failures within the NT child protection and youth detention systems – removed from her role and replaced with an Aboriginal children’s commissioner.

★Details of a confidential disclosure Ms Gwynne made about police corruption to the Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner were given to NT Police before they began investigating her.

Police have previously defended their investigation.

“The investigation proceeded as per NTPF investigative procedures,” a spokeswoman said.

“Prior to the service of the notice to appear, the matter was reviewed by the DPP, there was sufficient evidence to support the charge and this matter proceeded.”

Ms Gwynne is the second high-ranking official in the NT to leave their job in the past six months.

Former Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker agreed to retire in May after taking legal action against the NT Government, which had asked him to resign.

Mr Chalker hired top Sydney lawyers Arthur Moses SC and Rebekah Giles and took his case to the Supreme Court before reaching a confidential settlement with the government.

Matt Cunningham is the Darwin Bureau Chief and Northern Australia Correspondent for Sky News.