Mills tried to bill Territorians $2310 a day for former chief-of-staff’s advice while Opposition Leader

TERRITORY Alliance leader Terry Mills invoiced Territory taxpayers $2310 a day for the services of his former chief-of-staff in the week after he seized opposition status in March

Conservative commentator Rod McGarvie accepts defeat in the battle for Nundah in the 2013 federal election. Picture: Adam Smith

• ICAC probes circumstances of Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills’ former chief-of-staff’s employment

TERRITORY Alliance leader Terry Mills invoiced Territory taxpayers $2310 a day for the services of his former chief-of-staff in the week after he seized opposition status in March, the NT News can reveal.

While nominally opposition leader between March 18 and 25 this year Mr Mills sent invoices totalling $9240 to the Department of Chief Minister to cover the costs of four days of consulting work from James Lantry.

At the same time, Mr Mills tried to bill Territory taxpayers another $2893 to fly in and accommodate Queensland-based staffers Rod McGarvie and Taryn Atkinson.

In response to questions from the NT News, a spokesman for Chief Minister Michael Gunner said while the salaries of Opposition staffers were typically paid for by the department, the invoices were knocked back as they were not considered normal employee expenses and no prior approval was sought.

Mr McGarvie is a former Queensland director of the Australian Conservatives and has previously run as a Senate candidate for Family First and in the lower house for the Liberal National Party.

In an article for Spectator in April, Mr McGarvie also called for Australia to “do a reality check” amid the coronavirus pandemic and “restart the major drivers of our economy by the end of April and the whole economy by mid-May”.

In an earlier article for the conservative publication he argued the idea of quotas for the number of women in parliament “clashes with the fundamental cultural value of a fair go and a level playing field for all”.

The Country Liberal Party wrestled back Opposition status through a vote in parliament in March but if Mr Mills had remained in Opposition and continued to retain Mr Lantry’s services at the same rate for a full year the bill would have amounted to more than $450,000.

The itemised invoices include services such as speech writing and meeting prep, including for one meeting with the department Mr Mills later asked the department to pay for.

In a statement, Mr Mills said Mr Lantry “provided eight days work and was never paid”.

“Having become Opposition, we immediately began bringing in staff who were available to take us through transition. Invoices sent were never paid,” he said.

“Three staff received three days pay and one week’s severance.

“I was unaware of Rod McGarvies views and do not share them.”

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