Labor Member for Blain and ex-cop Mark Turner sues NT Police for alleged discrimination

NEW Territory government MLA Mark Turner has failed in a bid to keep secret a workplace dispute with NT Police after taking legal action in the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Member for Blain Mark Turner is taking legal action against his former employer, NT Police. Picture: Glenn Campbell

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NEW Territory government MLA Mark Turner has failed in a bid to keep secret a workplace dispute with NT Police after taking legal action in the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

The former senior constable became the Labor member for Blain after unseating Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills at last month’s election.

In a complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Commission (ADC), Mr Turner said he was overlooked for a position in the digital forensics unit by Acting Superintendent Megan Blackwell based on his status as a father and union membership.

The complaint was accepted by the ADC and following unsuccessful conciliation, the dispute was listed for a directions hearing at NTCAT earlier this month.

But when his lawyer, Luke Officer, noticed a journalist in the tribunal conference room, he made an application for a blanket suppression order on the entire proceeding.

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“The complaint revolves around comments made by Acting Supt Blackwell involving (Mr Turner’s) application to a position within the digital forensics unit, which included exposure to child abuse material and whether or not the applicant would be suitable to that role being a parent of five children,” Mr Officer wrote in a submission to the tribunal in support of his application.

“Publication of the applicant’s name or anything tending to identify him could reasonably identify his children.”

Tribunal president Richard Bruxner suppressed any mention of the proceedings until the parties, including the NT News, could make arguments for and against the details being made public.

But after hearing from both sides, Mr Bruxner last week ruled in favour of the newspaper and ordered the interim suppression order be lifted, saying “this is not screaming out to me as a case for a (suppression) order”.

“I can see that there’s the possibility that identification of Mr Turner may lead also to identification of his children and that there’s a very incidental connection to the children by virtue of the circumstances of the alleged unlawful conduct under the Anti-Discrimination Act,” he said.

“(But) even if I was to accept that there is that prospect that the kids might be identified as Mr Turner’s kids I’m struggling to see what the public interest would demand be protected in relation to their identity.”

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The form of any compensation Mr Turner is seeking from NT Police remains unclear but the proceeding is listed for a compulsory conference on October 30 in a bid to resolve the dispute.

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