Treaty Commissioner Mick Dodson to face motion to be sacked if he fails to resign: Gunner

Chief Minister Michael Gunner says Treaty Commissioner Mick Dodson will face a parliamentary motion to have him sacked if he fails to resign when he returns from sick leave this week.

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner says Treaty Commissioner Mick Dodson will face a parliamentary motion to have him sacked if he fails to resign when he returns from sick leave this week.

The former Australian of the Year lost the Chief Minister’s confidence after the NT News and Sky News revealed allegations he had verbally abused and threatened Aboriginal women.

Professor Dodson told the government two weeks ago he intended to resign after losing the government’s confidence.

But instead of handing in his resignation he went on two weeks’ sick leave.

Mr Gunner said he was unsure if Prof Dodson would resign when his sick leave expired on Wednesday.

“We’ve made it clear what our expectation is, how we want to handle this, the Treaty Commissioner has taken that sick leave, we are bound by employment law, like any employer should be, but we will know mid-week what the Treaty Commissioner’s intention is.”

Prof Dodson has been accused of verbally abusing three Aboriginal women.

In one case it’s alleged he called a woman a “slut” and threatened to quote, “knock her f***ing lights out” at a football match in Darwin in January.

Prof Dodson has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations but says he has no recollection of the incident.

His lawyers say he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and his disassociation may be due to his medical condition.

The government cannot sack the Treaty Commissioner.

He can only be removed from his position if a motion is passed by two-thirds of the Northern Territory Parliament.

The Opposition has said it will move such a motion as a matter of urgency when Parliament next sits on June 24.

The government has indicated it will either support the CLP’s motion or put forward one of its own.

The Administrator also has the power to suspend the Treaty Commissioner if she deems him physically or mentally incapable of performing his role.

But Mr Gunner said that course of action was unlikely.

“I think that would be a difficult path to pursue, I think the simpler path would be through the Parliament, if that was required,” he said.

“It’s my hope that this comes to a quicker neater conclusion than that.”

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