NT Chief Minister to be grilled over senior executive at centre of ‘job for a mate’ scandal

The Chief Minister faces a ticking clock to take action over a ‘job for a mate’ scandal, after an independent politician committed to grilling her in parliament over the unnamed senior executive.

NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Independent representative for Johnston, Justine Davis.

The Chief Minister faces a ticking clock to take action over a ‘job for a mate’ scandal after an independent politician committed to grilling the government over the unnamed senior executive in the next parliamentary sittings.

Lia Finocchiaro has been under increasing pressure to identify the senior public executive referred to in a NT Independent Commission Against Corruption’s report, codenamed ‘Operation Apollo’.

On Friday, the ICAC delegate Patricia Kelly found a senior public servant had committed “unsatisfactory conduct” in the management of their conflicts of interest, after failing to disclose the full extent of their friendship with a candidate, despite remaining on the recruitment panel and providing them with a reference.

Ms Kelly called their actions “negligent” and “incompetent”, stating they should have recused themself from the recruitment process.

She was not able to disclose the identity of the public servant under Section 55 of the ICAC Act.

The Act does not refer at all to elected representatives or members of the media.

On Tuesday the Chief Minister claimed she was “bound by the ICAC Act to deliver on that level of secrecy”, after being briefed about the scandal last week. 

Lia Finocchiaro has been under increasing pressure to identify the senior public executive referred to in a NT Independent Commission Against Corruption’s report, codenamed ‘Operation Apollo’. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“I was also advised at that time by the ICAC that I could not disclose the senior executive named in the statement,” she said.

“When the ICAC tells you ‘you’re not allowed to publicly disclose it’ — I take that on face value.

“As frustrating as people find this, myself included, these are all decisions that the ICAC has taken.”

Ms Finocchario said the anonymised ICAC release was intended as “an exercise in public education, around best practice”, but instead had created a “hunt” for the senior executive involved.

The Chief Minister has not denied that the senior executive falls under her portfolios, as the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Defence NT or the Territory Coordinator.

She did not confirm if she would be taking any action on the senior public executive.

Ms Finocchario was asked if she believed that the report needed to be referred to police for investigation to investigate any possible breaches of the Criminal Code, and if she was confident that the department could appropriately manage that case.

In response she repeated that ICAC was the agency tasked with the investigation, and it was up to that office if they chose to refer to bodies like the Director of Public Prosecutions, the NT Ombudsman or another agency.

She said the ICAC had made two recommendations to the public entity and “that’s their course of action going forward”.

Ms Finocchario directed all questions to the ICAC — despite Ms Kelly already stating: “I cannot and do not intend to comment any further”.

Independent representative for Johnston, Justine Davis said the Chief’s handling of the scandal was “deeply concerning”. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Independent representative for Johnston, Justine Davis said the Chief’s handling of the scandal was “deeply concerning”.

“By downplaying the misconduct as a matter of “education” around hiring processes, the Chief Minister shows a lack of concern for the public’s trust, which is vital in positions of authority,” Ms Davis said.

“Her refusal to take swift and decisive action against this public officer is a major failure of leadership and mirrors the same pattern of neglect we saw under the previous Labor government.”

She said under the Ministerial Code of Conduct, members “must act in what they genuinely believe to be the public interest”.

“The public deserves to know the identity of the senior public officer involved and what steps are being taken in response to the misconduct,” she said.

“If the Chief Minister does not act, I will be forced to ask questions and name this individual in the next Parliamentary sitting (on March 18).”

Opposition leader Selena Uibo similarly said the community expected the Chief Minister to “stand up and show leadership”. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Opposition leader Selena Uibo similarly said the community expected the Chief Minister to “stand up and show leadership”.

“The Chief Minister talks a big game about accountability and transparency but continually folds when it comes time to put her words into action,” Ms Uibo said.

“Soft excuses for serious misconduct and inappropriate use of public resources doesn’t cut it.”

Originally published as NT Chief Minister to be grilled over senior executive at centre of ‘job for a mate’ scandal