NT

Resources minister Madeleine King announces 46,758 square kilometres of new acreage will be released for offshore petroleum exploration.

The decision of Northern Territory Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ken Fleming to step aside from any role in the ICAC’s investigation into the alleged murder of Kumanjayi Walker by a police officer was to defuse accusations that saying “black lives matter” could make him appear biased against the police officer, who has been charged with murder.

The anti-corruption commissioners in Darwin and Adelaide are both worried that public servants are too reluctant to tell them about misconduct and maladministration, while in Canberra, a Senate inquiry into the taxation watchdog’s performance highlights what they are afraid of.

The Northern Territory government is confident its executive pay freeze will not lead to significant turnover in the upper ranks of the public sector, mainly because that’s business as usual in Darwin.

The Northern Territory government has decided to install a southerner as its next Commissioner for Public Employment. Vicki Telfer, the former human resources chief of the New South Wales Treasury, will take over the NT government’s central workforce management office on September 2.

The Northern Territory’s most senior police officer, Reece Kerhsaw, will become the next commissioner of the Australian Federal Police when Andrew Colvin steps down at the end of September.

The Northern Territory government’s plan to save millions by freezing the pay of public service executives might be delayed, but Premier Michael Gunner is confident it won’t be denied.

Thousands of public service jobs will be cut over the next year across the nation, all in the name of efficiency. But how does the mental health of those who escape the money-saving measures fare?

The Northern Territory Commissioner for Public Employment, Craig Allen, has tendered his resignation and will join the Queensland Office of Industrial Relations as a deputy

The Northern Territory’s new Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Ken Fleming, is investigating serious allegations that already have the office working at full capacity, and he

Northern Territory Attorney-General Natasha Fyles has made it clear that “restoring trust in government” is a key goal for the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, which is expected to be running by mid-year, while Victoria hopes its own integrity reforms can have a similar effect.

The head of the Northern Territory’s combined fire, rescue and emergency services agency is reportedly under internal investigation, according to a Darwin newspaper, 18 months after she took on the job of a leading a newly merged organisation.

Women have overtake men in all salary bands except the very top, reflecting a trend of more women in executive roles. Meanwhile, increases in other monitored equal opportunity groups such as culturally diverse and Aboriginal representation have been more modest.

The two territories are catching up to the states and establishing independent corruption commissions to investigate and expose public sector corruption, in their own ways. The Commonwealth looks increasingly isolated while the relentless campaign for a federal ICAC rumbles on.