We didn’t know grandstand proposal came in just ‘hours’ before we approved it: NT Racing Minister Natasha Fyles

NT Racing Minister Natasha Fyles has defended the decision to approve the $12 million Turf Club grandstand grant again saying that Cabinet was not aware the club’s submission had only come in ‘hours’ before it was approved.

NT Racing Minister Natasha Fyles has defended the decision to approve the $12 million grant to build a grandstand, saying that Cabinet was not aware the Darwin Turf Club’s submission had only come in ‘hours’ before it was approved. Picture: Glenn Campbell

NT RACING Minister Natasha Fyles has defended the decision to approve the $12 million grant to build a grandstand, again saying that Cabinet was not aware the Darwin Turf Club’s submission had only come in “hours” before it was approved.

She told ABC Radio on Wednesday that Cabinet did not know the Turf Club’s submission had only come in just hours before it was brought into Cabinet by Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

MORE NT NEWS

Final ICAC Turf Club report included incomplete text message from former NT News editor to Brett Dixon

NT government reaffirms Cabinet followed ‘normal process’ in approving $12M Turf Club grant following Darwin Turf Club chairman Brett Dixon’s statement

Darwin Turf Club chief executive Brad Morgan reveals former board members are among those to nominate for a spot on board

“We didn’t know as a Cabinet that the submission had only come in hours before ...” she said.

Ms Fyles said a “memo” was submitted to Cabinet and “we made a decision based on it”.

“So the Cabinet process is very robust and we’ve been through some very difficult issues ... while I’ve been a Cabinet minister and the Westminster system is if you don’t all agree in support, and you must leave your personal views at the door, you walk away from that Cabinet,” she said.

“So Cabinet backed this decision, we backed the Chief Minister.

“Of course there’s been findings around the processes that led up, Cabinet wasn’t fully informed whereas we believed we did have the information, but yes, the decision, the process of Cabinet is that everyone supports it.”

Concerns have been raised about the haste with which Cabinet ministers made their decision to hand over $12m in taxpayer’s money to the Darwin Turf Club.

However Minister Fyles said the decision was made in the context of the jobs it would deliver at a time when people were leaving Darwin.

Follow @JudithAisthorpe