Ms Purick, the independent MLA for Goyder, has been asked to step down from the role by the Chief Minister though she has yet to make her decision public.

The 9-month long Independent Commissioner against Corruption investigation, sparked by a complaint from Territory Alliance’s Terry Mills and Robyn Lambley, is now in the hands of the NT’s Director of Public Prosecutions.

The DPP will decide if Ms Purick should be charged with a criminal offence.

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Kezia Purick asked to resign amid ICAC probe, Chief Minister announces

The highs and lows of Kezia Purick

What exactly has the ICAC found?

ICAC Commissioner Ken Fleming QC found Ms Purick engaged in a “series of acts” which amounted to corrupt conduct because each was a “serious breach of public trust”.

The investigation found Ms Purick:

1) Intervened in the attempted creation of a political party by other MLAs, contrary to her obligations of impartiality as Speaker.

2) Acted dishonestly by releasing an untrue statement about her involvement in the matter above to other MLAs and to the public.

3) Used her position and resources as Speaker to carry out the above.

4) Failed to uphold the law by failing to report to ICAC a suspected breach of section 147 of the ICAC Act though she knew of her obligations.

5) On the balance of probabilities, engaged in corrupt conduct that may constitute an offence under the ICAC Act by misleading the Commissioner while under oath and under examination.

What is this even about, in a nutshell?

THIS all goes back to 2018, when Mr Mills, who was at the time an independent MLA, was scoping out the idea of starting a new political party in the NT.

What Ms Purick did to interfere with that and how she acted when it became public, are central to the investigation’s findings.

The investigation kicked off in August 2019, after Mr Mills and Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley made a complaint in June 2019.

The ICAC then found Ms Purick, when interviewed by them for this investigation, lied on three occasions.

Spicy. What happened exactly in 2018?

IN mid-October 2018 the NT News reported Mr Mills wanted to create a new political party called the “North Australia Party”.

Mr Mills went on radio claiming he feared “insider trading” because “the two existing parties and the Speaker appear to have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are …”.

“If we leave it to insider considerations and advice from a Speaker you are going to have, I think, things stay exactly the same way because they are motivated to keep them the same way,” he said.

These comments angered Ms Purick, according to the ICAC report, which resulted in a chain of text messages with an unidentified person.

Ms Purick then asked Mr Mills, in parliament, to withdraw the comments he made which he did.

A day later, while in parliament, Ms Purick’s electorate officer Martine Smith sent her an email revealing the “North Australia Party” was in fact a registered business name in Queensland but not a registered political party”.

Ms Purick, praising Ms Smith’s apparent genius, said she could “get someone to register” the name, in effect blocking Mr Mills from using it in the NT.

The email chain went on for 15 minutes, including an email where Ms Purick said: “We have to find some one unrelated to us who is also devious?”

The name “North Australia Party” had been registered as a business name in Queensland by former state LNP MP Bruce Young.

Ms Purick got in touch with Mr Young in an attempt to influence him not to let Mr Mills’ use the name.

But what Ms Purick didn’t know was that Mr Young and Mr Mills’ had in fact already been talking.

The media got wind of what was going on.

Mr Mills asked Mr Young for copies of his texts with Ms Purick and on November 12, 2018 the story went live on Sky News and ABC News under the headlines “”Speaker Kezia Purick accused of trying to spoil Terry Mills’ party as rift deepens” and “NT Speaker’s office accused of interfering in establishment of new Territory political party”

The next day, Ms Smith was at Ms Purick’s home, with the women drinking alcohol and discussing the recent media attention.

An unnamed witness, “CD”, told the ICAC she went to Ms Purick’s home to pick up an intoxicated Ms Smith and it was then that they discussed how they would deal with the media attention.

Ms Purick, on November 16, sent out an email to MLAs and to the media stating:

“I became aware recently that one of my personal staff made enquiries regarding the business name North Australia Party, which is registered in Queensland and had some contact with a past member of the Queensland parliament.

“At no time did I give direction to the staff member to make contact or any enquiry and as a consequence the staff member has been reprimanded for the actions and acknowledges her lapse in judgment and has expressed regret.

“I express regret to the members for Blain and Araluen for the actions of my staff member and assure all members that staff in the speaker’s office work towards the highest standards and will continue to do so. My office will make no further comment on this matter.”

However, the ICAC found Ms Smith was never reprimanded.

ICAC Commissioner Ken Fleming QC, in the report, said he had been left “in no doubt” that Ms Purick “used her power and influence over Ms Smith to achieve her ends and to use Ms Smith in the whole of the process from about mid to late October 2018 right up to the time Ms Smith gave evidence to me on 6 March 2020”.

In the report, Mr Fleming QC said “the degree to which Ms Purick was prepared to mislead was carefully calculated”.

“I find from that evidence that Ms Purick had made an assessment of how much the press knew,” he said.

“She then crafted the message around what the press knew, not the true facts, and she blamed Ms Smith for the episode.”

The ICAC is saying Ms Purick lied to them? How?

THREE times, according to the report.

The first issue related to Ms Purick denying she directed Ms Smith, or knew anything about the actions Ms Smith took, in relation to the North Australia Party.

The ICAC found that Ms Purick tried to mislead the anti-corruption body by telling them the media statement of November 16, 2018 was truthful when it was actually false.

She then denied to the ICAC that she had ever told anyone to delete text messages between her and Ms Smith, and any relating to how the media statement was crafted.

“I accept the evidence of Ms Smith to the contrary, and find that Ms Purick’s conduct in misleading me is corrupt conduct,” Mr Fleming QC stated in the report.

Thirdly, the ICAC found Ms Purick denied that she told an unnamed witness “AB”, a male MLA, to deny communications that she had with him, despite text messages proving to the contrary.

“I accept the evidence of the email of 8 November 2018 that Ms Purick told AB: “if you get asked deny, deny, deny”,” Mr Fleming stated in the report.

“I find that Ms Purick’s conduct in misleading me is corrupt conduct.”

What happens now?

AS mentioned, the ICAC has forwarded this on to the NT DPP, which will decide whether or not Ms Purick can be charged with a criminal offence.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner, in a press conference on Monday, said he had approached Ms Purick to request her resignation from the Speakership.

He was yet to receive a reply this morning.

Deputy Speaker Chansey Paech will step into the role when parliament sits tomorrow.

Ms Purick told the NT News she was completely blindsided by the Chief Minister’s announcement this morning.

The Member for Goyder said she had been in a meeting at her electorate office in Coolalinga when Mr Gunner held a surprise press conference this morning.

“He did try and ring me but I was in a meeting here in my electorate office so I had no idea,” she said.

“There are some legal issues so I can’t talk about it just yet until I seek legal advice but one thing was that the (ICAC) report was supposed to be going to the Speaker’s Office but it went to the Chief Minister’s office.

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“The fact that I’m part of the report is neither here nor there, I can always step back from it.”