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By Thomas Morgan
The highs and lows of Chief Minister Michael Gunner 
LOOKING BACK
Michael Gunner has stepped down as the Territory’s Chief Minister after five years in charge. Here are some of the highs and lows of his political reign in the Top End.
The decisions made early in the pandemic helped keep Territorians safe. Closed borders and snap lockdowns were an inconvenience, but many were happy with sensible measures.
NT Covid response
The government’s vaccine mandate may have caused backlash, but few can deny that overall the Chief Minister was steadfast and showed leadership through the crisis.
A sex worker alleged a Territory politician and a staffer had been involved in a cocaine and sex party on election night in 2020. The politician at the centre of the allegations was later identified as Member for Blain Mark Turner.
Cocaine sex scandal
Turner denied drug use and illegal behaviour but was booted from Labor's caucus after allegedly misleading the party about a consensual extramarital affair with a woman.
If the recent budget numbers are to be believed, the NT government will record a budget deficit in 2025-26 of just $17m. That’s a far cry from the billion-dollar deficits of recent years.
Budget comeback
If the numbers stack up it’s a remarkable recovery which has, by his own admission, helped Mr Gunner decide now is the best time to step down.
The Independent Commissioner Against Corruption's report into the tendering processes for the $12m grandstand at Darwin Turf Club was not good for Mr Gunner.
Darwin Turf Club saga
Alf Leonardi, who served as Mr Gunner’s chief-of-staff for years, was found to have committed misconduct by ICAC for helping facilitate the tender process of the grandstand.
It didn’t help that Mr Gunner’s own colleague, Natasha Fyles, let slip that he was the one who took the grandstand proposal into cabinet.
 Producer: Andrew Piva
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